The International Boxing Association (IBA), whose parameters are not recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced that it will grant the Italian boxer Angela Carini the cash prize allocated to Olympic champions.
The amount will be delivered even after the athlete withdraws from the fight against Algerian Imane Khelif, valid for the round of 66 of the under-XNUMXkg category, in the Paris Olympic Games, last Thursday (1st), as a result of a controversy due to the gender of her rival.
Wrongly defined by press outlets around the world as “transgender”, Khelif is an intersex person, that is, with characteristics of both sexes. She was born and identifies as a woman, but produces testosterone levels compatible with men.
Algerian participation in the Olympics became a target for the extreme right in several countries, with the Italian Prime Minister herself, Giorgia Meloni, stating that it was not a “dispute between equals”.
Because of the controversy, the IBA explained in a statement that the president of the association, Umar Kremelev, decided that Carini, who abandoned the fight after less than a minute due to pain in her nose, will receive the award as if she had become Olympic champion.
The bonus consists of US$100, of which US$50 will go to Carini, US$25 to his trainer and the other US$25 to the Italian Boxing Federation (FPI), which, however, recently left the IBA to join “World Boxing”.
“I couldn’t look at her tears. I am not indifferent to such situations, and I can guarantee that we will protect every boxer”, declared Kremlev.
“I don’t understand why they are killing women’s boxing. Only eligible athletes should compete in the ring for the sake of safety,” he added.
The IBA has strongly criticized the International Olympic Committee's decision to let Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan compete at the Paris Olympics after they were disqualified from last year's World Championships for failing gender eligibility tests.
Italian Boxing Federation refuses award after controversy
The Italian Boxing Federation (FPI) said it will not accept any prize given by the International Boxing Association (IBA), after the organization announced that it will give Italian boxer Angela Carini the Olympic champion's cash bonus, even though she has withdrawn from her fight. against Algerian Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics.
In a statement, the FPI said it denied “the hypothesis of accepting any cash prize”.
Federation sources stated that the boxer is also unlikely to accept the offer, although there is still no confirmation. (Ansa Brasil)
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