Algerian Imane Khelif, 25, won her first boxing match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Thursday after her Italian opponent Angela Carini withdrew after just 46 seconds.
Khelif has qualified for the quarter-finals of the 66kg weight category after less than a minute.
She was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after failing a gender eligibility test, and her presence at the Paris Games has become a controversial issue.
The Algerian Olympic Committee issued a statement on Wednesday condemning what it called “lies” and “the unethical targeting and defamation of our esteemed athlete Imane Khelif, with unfounded propaganda from some foreign media outlets.”
Carini and Imane only exchanged a few punches before the Italian withdrew from the match, an extremely unusual occurrence in Olympic boxing.
“I am not here to judge. If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it’s not right or it is right, it’s not up to me to decide,” Carini told reporters after the match.
In a statement Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee criticized the backlash directed at Khelif and Taiwan's Lin during the Olympics, as well as the decision by the International Boxing Association, or IBA, to disqualify them from last year's Women’s World Boxing Championships.
As for professional Arab and foreign athletes, some have confirmed that the Algerian boxer is 100% female, as practicing such sport increases the level of testosterone in the body and transforms the body into a more masculine posture.
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