Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif has been confirmed by the Olympic Committee to have complied with all entry regulations. In an official statement dated Thursday (August 1), the Olympic Committee said, “Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.”
This follows after her match with Italian boxer Angela Carini, where Carini abandoned the fight 46 seconds in. The Italian boxer who tearfully abandoned the fight, led to several comments from people, who described Imane Khelif’s presence in the olympics as a threat to the health of her opponents.
Cementing their stance, the Olympic Committee further wrote, “We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years”.
Imane Khelif is one of two athletes who has been cleared to compete in women’s boxing in Paris despite being disqualified from the 2023 Women’s World Championships for failing to meet eligibility criteria.
The circumstances of her disqualification from the 2023 Women’s World Championships have been considered unusual ever since it happened, and Khelif even called it “a big conspiracy” at the time.
In recent developments, however, Italian boxer Angela Carini, who abandoned the fight with Khelif, said she “wants to apologise” to her opponent for how she handled the moments after the fight.
Speaking to an Italian newspaper, Gazzetta dello Sport, she said, “All this controversy makes me sad, i’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”
She further expressed regret at not shaking hands with Khelif afterwards. “I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke,” she added, that if she met Khelif again, she would “embrace her.”
