Prize money for ‘Gender row victim’ Italian Angela Carini who quit in 46 seconds against controversial Imane Khelif

International Boxing Association announced a reward for Angela Carini after she became a gender row victim against Imane Khelif.

Prize money for ‘Gender row victim’ Italian Angela Carini who quit in 46 seconds against controversial Imane Khelif

International Boxing Association announced reward for Angela Carini (Image via IBA)

Angela Carini has been announced as the recipient of a $50,000 prize by the International Boxing Association (IBA). This came after her defeat in the welterweight round-of-16 match against Algerian Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics. The defeat resulted in a major discussion across social media platforms.

The event has been riddled with several controversies since its opening day. This is one of the most recent controversies that arose from Carini’s 46-second withdrawal, which led to widespread outrage worldwide. In response, the International Boxing Association has offered financial compensation to the Italian boxer.

I couldn’t look at her tears. I am not indifferent to such situations, and I can assure that we will protect each boxer. I do not understand why they kill women’s boxing. Only eligible athletes should compete in the ring for the sake of safety.
Umar Krevlev in the IBA official statement
YouTube video

In addition to the $50,000 prize money allocated to Carini, the IBA announced that her federation would receive $25,000, and her coach would receive an extra $25,000. Umar Kremlev also mentioned that IBA would provide support to Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan as well. Turdibekova was unanimously defeated by Lin Yu-ting from Chinese Taipei, who was also deemed ineligible by the IBA in 2023.

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This decision to provide incentives came amid an ongoing dispute between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC revoked the boxing association’s international recognition last year. In the meantime, Carini has once again raised this topic. However, this time, she did not display any signs of distress in front of the press at the Paris Olympics.

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Angela Carini issues an apology on the controversial matter

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting were cleared to participate in the women’s boxing competition. Interestingly, Khelif and Yu-ting were disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships for not meeting eligibility criteria. This decision sparked controversy online, with some individuals making transphobic comments. In doing so, they demanded that Khelif be forbidden from competing in women’s events.

Angela Carini apologized to Imane Khelif and everyone at a presser
Angela Carini apologized to Imane Khelif and everyone at a presser (Image via X)

The situation gained attention because IOC representatives released a statement condemning the “witch hunt” and criticizing media coverage. After seeing such things escalating, the Italian boxer didn’t stay quiet. At a recent press meet, Angela Carini apologized to her opponent from Algeria. Carini also highlighted that she would embrace Khelif in their next meeting.

All this controversy makes me sad... I'm sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision... I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke...
Angela Carini via Gezzetta dello Sport

In the face of widespread criticism, featherweight world champion and Dazn boxer Skye Nicolson stepped in to show support for Algerian boxer and Chinese Taipei’s Ling Yu-ting. Nicolson explicitly stated that both boxers were born female.

However, Khelif has not yet responded to Carini’s apology yet. Currently, the Algerian boxer is set for her quarter-final match against Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori on Sunday. Now, it remains to be seen how their bout will unfold. Furthermore, it is a big question whether it will change people’s opinions if Anna Luca Hamori defeats Imane Khelif.

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