The International Boxing Association (IBA) will award $50,000 to Italian Angela Carini, who lost her welterweight round of 16 bout against Algerian Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics in 46 seconds on Thursday, it was announced on Friday.
Carini retired in the first round after the Algerian, who is at the centre of a gender dispute, attacked the Italian with a barrage of punches.
The IBA, which had its international recognition revoked by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year, said Carini would receive $50,000, her federation an additional $25,000 and her coach an additional $25,000.
“I don't understand why they stopped women's boxing,” said IBA president Umar Kremlev. “For safety reasons, only able-bodied athletes should compete in the ring. I couldn't see her tears.”
Algeria's Khelif and Taiwanese double world champion Lin Yu-ting have been allowed to compete in Paris despite being disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after failing to meet IBA eligibility rules that prevent athletes with XY male chromosomes from competing in women's events.
Last year, the IOC stripped the IBA of its status as boxing's governing body over governance issues and took over the Paris 2024 boxing competition, but it now finds itself at the centre of a dispute over the pair's participation.
Next up, welterweight Khelif will face Hungary's Luca Anna Hamori.
In an interview with Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport published on Friday, Carini said he had no intention of provoking such a heated controversy.
“This whole controversy certainly made me sad, and I also felt sorry for my opponent, she had nothing to do with it and I was just here to fight,” he said.
“It wasn't intentional, in fact I apologize to her and to everyone. I was angry that my Games were already gone. I have nothing against Khelif and, on the contrary, if I met her again, I would give her a hug.”
'MISTREATMENT'
The IOC said the IBA's decision to disqualify the boxers last year was arbitrary and the main cause of the furore that has seen people including British author JK Rowling and billionaire Elon Musk voice opposition to them competing at the Games.
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who met IOC President Thomas Bach on Thursday, said the Italian athlete had faced a boxer who had physical advantages and that it was not a fight between equals.
However, WBC women's featherweight world champion Skye Nicolson pointed out that Khelif and Lin had been beaten by women several times during their careers and said they “don't deserve this mistreatment.”
“I actually fought and sparred with both girls,” the Australian said in an Instagram post.
“They have grown up as girls, as females, as women. They have competed as women all the time. They are not men by nature who have decided to call themselves women or identify as women to fight against women in the Olympic Games.
“I feel like what happened with the Italian girl was more of a publicity stunt than anything else.
Some sports have limited the levels of testosterone allowed for athletes competing in female competitions, while others prohibit participation by anyone who has gone through male puberty.
Unspecified sexual disorders (DSDs) are a group of rare conditions that affect genes, hormones, and reproductive organs. Some people with DSDs are raised as women but have XY sex chromosomes and blood testosterone levels within the male range.
The IOC said eligibility rules were based on those for the 2021 Tokyo Games and could not be changed during a competition.
