Once again, the topic of hormonal differences finds both supporters and opponents in the sports scene, following what happened this Thursday in Olympic women's boxing and the resignation of Italian boxer Angela Carini in her match against Algerian Imane Khelif, an "intersex" athlete, in Paris 2024.
Only 46 seconds of the fight passed when the European competitor abandoned the match, as her opponent's blows were very strong, reported the consulting group "Fair play for women" on the social media platform X, dedicated to raising awareness, providing evidence, analysis, and protecting the rights of women and girls in the United Kingdom.
It is worth noting that the term "intersexual" encompasses "a broad group of people whose sexual characteristics fall outside the typical binary norms of male or female," explained the newspaper As.
"Among these characteristics, primary sexual characteristics can be included, such as internal and external genitals, reproductive systems, reproductive organs, hormone levels, and sex chromosomes, or secondary sexual characteristics that become apparent during puberty," the publication added.
After the fight in the 66-kilogram division, Carini confessed to the press that he decided to stop the match because he could not continue. "My nose hurt a lot and I said, 'Stop.' It's better not to continue. My nose started to bleed from the first blow," according to Europa Press.
"It could have been the fight of my life, but at that moment, I also had to safeguard my life," the pugilist added while noting, "I have always fought against men, but today I felt too much pain."
Disqualified from the 2023 Women's World Cup in New Delhi due to very high testosterone levels, the Algerian managed to join the Olympic team, just as she did previously in Tokyo 2020, as the governing body of boxing differs from the world championships.
User Marc Vidal recalled that in a previous match, Khelif "gave a significant beating that disfigured the face of Mexican Cruz Sandoval."
For governance reasons, the International Boxing Association lacks recognition from the International Olympic Committee, which recognizes that Khelif meets the requirements to compete in the women's category as a woman, as stated in her passport.
Since X, the account "End Wokoness" has attacked the "absolute farce at the Olympic Games," as Carini was "forced to box against a biological man." She gives up after only 45 seconds and cries hysterically when her opponent is declared the winner.
This decision fueled the debate over the concept of fair play, endorsed by "Fair play for women," whose discourse claims that transgender sports policy overlooks the principles of fair competition, based on ancestral rules that distinguish different categories taking into account various factors such as age, weight, gender, among others.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under:
