After Italian boxer Angela Carini expressed regret and wanted to “apologize” to Imane Khelif, former ESPN writer Jemele Hill and South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley followed suit.
Carini said the controversy surrounding Khelif “makes me sad” and that he “respects”[ed]”the IOC's decision to allow Khelif to fight.
Khelif is considered to have XY male chromosomes and was banned from competing in the women's world championships last year.
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Jemele Hill and Dawn Staley criticized Imane Khelif on Friday. (Fake Images)
After Carini apologized, Hill said many others should follow his example and wants Khelif to take further action.
“A lot of people should apologize,” Hill, a writer for The Atlantic, wrote in X. “I hope Khelif sues some people for her reckless comments. All this story did was expose ugliness, hatred and transphobia. As Carini admitted here, she quit because she was upset that she was going to be kicked out and other people turned it into something else.”
Staley took note of Hill's post and added another comment.
“They also need to be prayed for and prayed for because… the way their lives are set up is pure hate,” Staley wrote.
Imane Khelif (in red) of Algeria gestures towards Angela Carini of Italy in the women's 66 kilograms preliminary round of 16 boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images)
RILEY GAINES CALLS FEMALE BOXER A “HERO” FOR LOSING FIGHT TO FIGHTER WITH XY CHROMOSOMES AND CRITICISES IOC
Hill responded that he was “all for it.”[d].”
Carini appeared to treat Khelif coldly after the right-hander. He said that was one of the things he regretted about the match.
“It wasn't something I intended to do,” Carini said. “I actually want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry that my Olympics were gone.”
Khelif will fight in the next round on Saturday against Hungarian Luca Hamori.
The International Olympic Committee defended Khelif's eligibility The gender controversy heated up on Thursday.
“These two athletes were victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA,” the IOC said of Khelif and Taiwanese Lin Yu-Ting. “Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.”
Algeria's Imane Khelif, right, defeated Italy's Angela Carini in their preliminary women's 66-kilogram boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/John Locher)
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According to the IBA minutes available on its website, the decision was initially taken by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only subsequently ratified it and only subsequently requested that a procedure be established to be followed in similar cases in the future and reflected in the IBA Rules. The minutes also say that the IBA should “establish a clear procedure on gender testing.”
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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