I’M NOT SCARED, LET’S DO IT
WITH ONE PUNCH, ALGERIAN IMANE KHELIF REIGNITED A GENDER WAR IN PARIS, WITH FEARS SOMEONE WILL DIE. BUT AT LEAST ONE BOXER ISN’T AFRAID FRAID
“If she or he is a man, I’m not scared. Let’s do it.”
With those fearless words, Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori took the fight to Algerian intersex athlete Imane Khelif as boxing’s biological powder keg exploded on Thursday at the Paris Olympics.
Hamori ended the campaign of Australian Marissa Williamson Pohlman at North Paris Arena, then vowed she would have no fear facing the Algerian at the centre of a gender firestorm. Khelif triggered a frenzied global debate after a first-round demolition of Italy’s Angela Carini, who was reduced to tears after copping a punch that busted her nose and left her fearing for her safety.
Italy’s prime minister lashed the IOC, calling for an urgent ban on intersex athletes from female competition.
“I had to safeguard my life,” a shaken Carini said later, fighting tears.
Those six words – and the 46 seconds of brutality in the ring – left the IOC under siege as the Olympic boxing competition in Paris descended into a political farce.
Those close to Carini begged her not to fight. But a hungry Hamori couldn’t care less, vowing to punch through the red tape and failed sextest scandal to knock Khelif out of medal contention.
“I’m not scared,” Hamori said after her disposal of Williamson Pohlman, who lost to Khelif two months ago in Holland. “I don’t care about the story.
“If she or he is a man it’ll be a bigger victory for me if I will win. So let’s do it. It’s going to be a great fight and I hope I will win. I can’t wait.”
This is the IOC’S worst nightmare. It has become the most vexing issue of the Games – and threatens to besmirch it.
The IOC sacked the International Boxing Association from running boxing at these Olympics following two decades of corruption that have left the sport fighting for survival for the 2028 Games.
But the IOC has Carini’s blood on their hands after allowing Khelif and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting to fight against women in Paris, despite the IBA banning the duo for failing eligibility tests at last year’s world championships.
IBA boss Umar Kremlev said tests showed Khelif and Lin had “XY chromosomes” and were trying to fool competitors by pretending to be women.
His words came back to haunt the IOC as Khelif ruthlessly clobbered Carini. Less than a minute after the two touched gloves, Khelif pounded Carini with a powerful right hand. The Italian went to the corner and spoke to her trainers before the referee sensationally waved the contest off.
Shock fell over the crowd. A shattered Carini launched her headgear out of the ring. The Italian then fell to her knees and cried as Khelif was declared the winner. “I have never been hit so hard in my life,” she said.
The IOC released a lengthy statement saying all boxers met its guidelness and the IBA had created an issue with an “arbitrary” decision about the boxers’ eligibility.