On the sixth day of the Paris Olympics, the world watched Imane Khelif box against Angela Carini in a bout that lasted just 46 seconds.
Algeria's Khelif controversially qualified for women's boxing despite being disqualified from the 2023 world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test. Meanwhile, Italy's Carini was boxing to pay tribute to her late father.
ESPN host Pat McAfee gave his take on the fight during his Thursday broadcast on the network.
“There is no reason why we should be looking at a potential male [physically] Hitting the body [woman],” he said.
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Imane Khelif of Algeria, left, punches Angela Carini of Italy during their bout at the Summer Olympics at the North Paris Arena in Villepinte, France, Aug. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)
McAfee cited a statistical table comparing average swimming times between male and female competitors at this year's Olympics. The men's averages were better in all events.
“I know it's not all women or all men. We're not talking about souls, we're talking about physical bodies, but at those high levels of competition, there is a clear advantage,” McAfee said. “There always has been and I guess there always will be, and I hope we get to a point where we all agree on that. I think we all feel the same way about that.”
ESPN previously explored the issue of transgender athletes participating in women's sports in a “Sports Science” segment. The episode featured several experts, including physiologist Tommy Lundberg, who concluded that male bodies “undoubtedly” retain physical advantages over women even if puberty blockers are used.
Meanwhile, McAfee joins a long list of high-profile figures who have spoken out against the concept of allowing Khelif to box Carini, including former President Trump, boxer Jake Paul and famed “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling.
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The International Olympic Committee defended its decision to exonerate Khelif in a statement before the match and even suggested that athletes similar to Khelif have competed in previous Olympics, as recently as the Tokyo Games in 2021.
“Everyone competing in the women's category meets the eligibility rules for the competition,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “These athletes have competed many times before over many years, they didn't just come along. They competed in Tokyo.”
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The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) released a statement defending Khelif after the fight: “The COA strongly condemns the unethical attack and defamation against our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with unfounded propaganda by certain foreign media outlets.”
Carini previously told reporters that her goal at the Olympics was to win a medal for her late father.
“I just wanted this win at all costs, just for my father,” Carini said before Thursday's match.
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