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The Italian women’s boxers Angela Carini allegedly allegedly suffered online abuse in the aftermath of her famous defeat against Imaif in Algeria at the Paris Olympic Games last summer.
Carini left his Olympic fight against Khelif after only 46 seconds, while images of Algeria’s punches against Carini shook viewers around the world. Khelif, who previously failed sexual eligibility tests for another international competition, won gold.
The incident caused a worldwide backlash of defenders of female sports protection, especially after Carini left her match and cried to journalists from the pain that she felt Khelif punches.
The Khelif Imanme (in red) of Algeria hits Angela Carii Italian in the female preliminaries of 66 kg of 16 boxing games during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Arena of the North of Paris, in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. (Mohd Rasfan / AFP via Getty Images)
On Thursday, Carini published a video on Instagram with screenshots of messages of abuse that she received on social networks – some begging her not to take over the Olympic games, others calling her “a coward” and “the shame of the Italian team” – and a voice of 26 years explaining what she felt.
“Have you ever wondered how difficult it was for me to face these words? What I had to endure and endure day after day? What I was to face in my silence, while preserving my health from a stupid social network, people who say and say words without thinking twice?” Said Carini. “Because for them, it’s just a sentence, it’s just a word, it’s just fun, it’s just wanting to follow the crowd.”
Carini’s decision to leave the fight fueled a discussion far beyond Paris as to Khelif should have been authorized to compete, President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks.
She said the incident had “destroyed” her career.
“For many, it is easy to forget the past, but for me, it was not the case,” said Carini in his video. “This past that has marked my life. This past which left me injuries that I try to heal day after day, but like an infected injury, it bleeds and hurts.
“This past which has changed and destroyed my career, built year after year with sacrifices, dedication, tenacity and a lot of passion. … This career which is underestimated and depreciated by those who preferred to make fun of a few moments, preferred to launch the stone.”
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Angela Carini of Team Italy reacts after having abandoned the 66 kg female preliminary round match against Imune Khelif of the Algeria team in the first round on the six day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in North Paris Arena on August 1, 2024 in Paris, France. (Images Richard Pelham / Getty)
After Paris, Carini said that she closed “in silence” with her family and “tried to rebuild [herself] in small pieces. “”
Carini returned to the ring in December, winning his eighth Italian title and his gold at the World Boxing Cup in Poland.
“By putting all the disappointment aside, I returned to this ring, I reconfirged myself as Italian champion and putting medals at home from important international tournaments,” said Carini. “Return to this ring was a difficult challenge.”
“These words will not change the world. I will not make people to become nicer. But at least I invite everyone to think. … A word, a gesture, a command can hurt and destroy a person.”
The International Olympic Committee (CIO) defended the results of the Paris Games, declaring that Khelif and another boxer who faced problems of eligibility between the sexes were the victims of a “sudden and arbitrary decision of IBA”. Khelif also publicly denied being transgender.
The President of the International Boxing Association (IBA), Umar Kremlev, demanded in July that the Olympic gold medal in Khelif be stripped of “transparency and opening”. Khelif has already been disqualified from IBA for failing an eligibility test between the sexes. Kremlev said at the time that the results of unpublished DNA tests showed that Khelif had XY chromosomes.
The Imane Khelif of Algeria, on the right, defeated, Angela Carini of Italy in their 66 kg female preliminary boxing match at the 2024 summer Olympic Games, Thursday August 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP photo / John Locher)
World Boxing, the International Director of Boxing Sport, announced a new policy in August which introduces compulsory sexual tests to guarantee that only women compete in the women’s category. Khelif called on the new policy that will prevent the athlete from any competition pending the results of genetic tests.
Asset Previously, there would be a “strong form of test” when they were asked for potential genetic tests for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games at a press conference on August 5.
The new president of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry, has initiated a working group to examine the problems of eligibility between the sexes.
