An Olympic bout saw a female athlete withdraw just 46 seconds into her fight against an opponent who had previously failed a gender test.
Italian Angela Carini took only a couple of hits from Algeria’s Imane Khelif before withdrawing from the match and falling to her knees in tears- an extremely unusual occurrence in Olympic boxing.
Hungary, the country of Khelif’s next opponent, is now mounting a challenge, reports CBS Sports..
Mr. Khelif was previously banned from competing in the world championships by the International Boxing association because he failed testosterone and gender eligibility tests. IBA president Umar Kremlev stated last year that “it was proven they have XY chromosomes”
Fight ‘Not fair’
This bout had already sparked intense controversy, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) facing mounting pressure to explain how a woman could be allowed into a boxing ring without certainty about the sex of her opponent. The IOC has fallen out with the IBA so the latter has no jurisdiction over the Olympics.
Algeria’s Khelif won in 46 seconds after Ms. Carini quit in the 66kg category, following a suspected broken nose. The latter claimed the fight was ‘not fair’.
The Bible says,
Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
And it commends fair dealing: Psa 106:3 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.
Prov 16:11 A just weight and balance are the LORD’S: all the weights of the bag are his work.
‘Never been punched so hard’
According to the Daily Telegraph, Ms. Carini said she abandoned the fight because she had never been punched so hard.
Imane Khelif was previously banned from competing in a gold-medal bout in Delhi by the International Boxing Association, which cited his ‘elevated levels of testosterone’ as failing to meet the eligibility criteria.
Despite this, the IOC permitted him to fight in these Olympics.
The power difference was evident from the start, with Carini taking a punch to the face and immediately walking to his corner, signaling she would not continue.
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‘Controversy before the fight’
Prior to the fight, many voiced concerns about the IOC’s decision to allow Imane Khelif to compete for Algeria.
It is true that both Khelif and Yu-Ting have been competing in women’s boxing for many years.
Mexico’s Brianda Tamara, a former opponent of Khelif, recounted their 2022 fight and spoke about Khelif’s extraordinary power and strength.
She said Khelif’s power and strength was unbelievable and that she had never ‘felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men’. She was grateful that she ‘got out of the ring safely’.
Australian boxing captain Caitlin Parker labeled Khelif’s eligibility as ‘incredibly dangerous,’ although Australian boxing coach Santiago Nieva stated Khelif was fine to fight.
IOC defends its decision
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said the pair were facing ‘aggression’ because of an ‘arbitrary decision’ by the IBA.
‘Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process,’ the IOC said.
Some sports have limited the levels of testosterone allowed for athletes competing in women’s competition, while others ban everyone who has been through male puberty.
Differences in sex development are a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs. Some people with DSDs are raised as female but have XY sex chromosomes and blood testosterone levels in the male range. (see below for Swyer Syndrome.)
IOC Official was Keir Starmer best man
The IOC said the rules of eligibility were based on those of the Tokyo Games in 2021 and cannot be changed during a competition.
‘The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure, especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.
‘The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving,” it added. “Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.’
Meanwhile, It has also emerged that the official at the centre of the row, Mark Adams, spokesman for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), defending the participation of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, was a best man at Sir Keir Starmer’s wedding.
The Telegraph reports Mr Adams has known the Prime Minister since the two were at school together. Biology was clearly not on the curriculum.
Paris Olympics and gender
Imane Khelif is not the only boxer in Paris with questions surrounding their gender. Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan was also expelled from the women’s world championships last year after IBA tests revealed that the 28-year-old also has XY chromosomes.
Despite this, Yu-ting fought Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova this week and also won, unanimously.
It is astonishing and alarming that a woman was encouraged to step into the ring with an opponent whose biological sex she did not know.
What does research say?
Studies have shown that men can punch 2.6 times harder than women, a critical safety concern beyond the usual issues of fair competition.
If Khelif’s testosterone levels are akin to those of a man, Carini faced a significant risk during the match and could have sustained injuries far worse than a broken nose had the fight continued.
These sex tests are implemented for good reasons: to protect women and ensure fair competition. However, the IOC has labelled concerns about Khelif and Yu-ting competing against female boxers as part of a mean-spirited ‘witch-hunt.’
Nevertheless, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy MP, previously vowing to leave decisions up to individual boards, has now decided to ‘speak to sporting bodies about ‘inclusion, fairness and safety’.’
Swyer Syndrome: XY genetics is not ‘she’ or ‘her’
It seems Khelif might be afflicted with Swyer Syndrome, which the US Government describes as ‘a rare genetic condition in which people who have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome (the usual pattern for males) look female. They have normal female reproductive organs, including a uterus, fallopian tubes, and vagina. However, the ovaries do not develop and are replaced by clumps of tissue where they would normally form. Swyer syndrome is usually not diagnosed until puberty, when menstrual periods do not begin as they should.’
The syndrome is named after Professor Gerald Swyer (1917-1995), an eminent endocrinologist and expert in the area of reproductive medicine. He reported on this ‘XY gonadal dysgenesis’ in 1955. See HERE.
However, both Khelif and Yu-ting have clearly undergone masculine development now possessing male levels of testosterone. So their situation could be more complicated than ‘simple’ Swyer syndrome. It remains that XY chromosomes are a male characteristic, making it inappropriate to call either boxer ‘she’ or ‘her’.
It is unfortunate, but our human condition since the fall sometimes deals us a sad hand. We must never let being ‘kind’ trump justice and equity or the safety of competitors.
What is the reality for female athletes globally?
Women’s boxing world champion Claressa Shields has fumed over the decision to allow two fighters who failed gender tests to compete against females at this summer’s Paris Olympics.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist wrote on X: ‘So they got men fighting against women in the Olympics boxing!
‘I wouldn’t have stood for no stuff like that! That is so heartbreaking to the women who have to have their dreams ruined by a man.
Ms. Shields first rose to fame in women’s boxing when she captured two gold medals at the Olympics; first coming out on top at the 2012 Games in London before repeating the feat four years later in Rio de Janeiro.
Another X user Oli London wrote: ‘Today she had her Olympic dreams crushed after being beaten by a MALE during a WOMENS boxing match.
‘This is the daily reality for female athletes across the world, as they are forced to compete against trans men in the name of ‘Diversity and Inclusion.’
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Read and pray
READ: Lev 19:35; Psalm 26:5; Micah 6:8; Mark 12:30-31; John 14:15; 1Cor 15:25; Col 3:2; Timothy 2:22; 2 Jude 1:7; Rev. 22:15..
PRAY: For women in sports. May there be justice, fairness and safety for those taking part.
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