Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Italian boxer Angela Carini, “I know you won’t give up” and will one day “earn what you deserve” in “a competition that is finally fair.” Meloni’s comments were in response to Carini retiring from the ring at the Paris Olympics after 46 seconds of fighting Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who has male chromosomes.
“I know you won’t give up, Angela, and I know that one day, you will earn with effort and sweat what you deserve in a competition that is finally fair,” Meloni said in a Thursday social media post.
As Breitbart News reported, Carini lasted 46 seconds in the ring boxing Khelif. Khelif was disqualified from the International Boxing Association 2023 World Boxing Championships after failing gender-eligibility tests but was cleared to participate in a boxing match against the Italian fighter at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I’ve never taken a punch like that; it’s impossible to continue,” a heartbroken Carini told Italian news outlet ASNA after Thursday’s match.
Last year, IBA President Umar Kremlev explained his organization’s decision to disqualify Khelif from competing in the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships, saying a DNA test showed XY chromosomes, according to Russia’s Tass News Agency as cited by Fox News.
“Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition,” Kremlev said at the time.
The Italian prime minister is not the only one to react to Thursday’s Olympic boxing match between Carini and Khelif.
YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul also shared his sentiments with Carini in a social media post on Thursday.
“To Angela Carini, although your dreams couldn’t come true today because of the crazy agendas that are at play in our world at the moment, I would love to offer you to fight on an MVP undercard, to show the world your talents on a fair platform and not against a man,” Paul said.
Meanwhile, millions of sports fans erupted over the match, slamming the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing a fighter with male chromosomes who was disqualified from the 2023 tournament to compete against Carini.
“Inclusion — Brought to you by the International Olympic Committee,” swimmer Riley Gaines, who famously competed against biological male swimmer Lia Thomas, quipped.
“This isn’t sport,” Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling asserted. “From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over women.”
“It’s evil is what it is,” another X user reacted.
“This is all on IOC and those in power who make the rules,” another declared. “It’s a travesty and makes a mockery of all Olympic sports.”
“The International Olympic Committee confirmed two boxers who were disqualified from the world championships last year for failing ‘gender eligibility tests’ were allowed to fight in Paris,” another proclaimed. “What a bloody disgrace!”
“Just when you thought the Olympics couldn’t be more despicable than their opening night ceremony, they allow a man to violently assault a woman with their blessing,” another said, adding, “Straight trash.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.