Paris 2024 controversy: Fans divided over Italy's Angela Carini's claims about Algerian boxer Imane Khelif; 'biological male or female' sparks debate

Having received a bye in the first round at the Olympics, 25-year-old Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who also competed at the Tokyo Games, entered Arena Paris Nord on Thursday to much applause from many of her countrymen in the crowd. However, her opponent, Italy's Angela Carini, abandoned her Olympic bout against Khelif after just 46 seconds, saying, "I had to preserve my life." Soon after this incident in Paris 2024, many celebrities expressed support for the Italian boxer, questioning how the Olympics allowed such a situation to occur.

What happened in the 46-second bout?

After being punched in the face within the first 30 seconds, Carini hurried to her corner to have her coach adjust her headgear. After briefly restarting the fight, she retreated to her corner and decided to halt the game. Just before the referee raised Khelif's arm in victory, Carini was seen on camera exclaiming, "It's not right." 

But why is the whole issue over Algerian boxer Imane Khelif?

Khelif is one of two athletes allowed to compete in women's boxing at Paris 2024, despite being excluded from last year's Women's World Championships for not meeting eligibility requirements. Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who lost a bronze medal at the same championships after failing a gender eligibility test, will also participate in Paris on Friday.

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which oversees boxing in Paris in 2024 but did not arrange the World Championships, said that Khelif was disqualified in India due to elevated testosterone levels. A gender eligibility test revealed that she had XY chromosomes, which are normally associated with males, while most women have XX. Interestingly, Khelif has only lost nine fights in her 50-fight career.

Fans divided over biological male or female debate:

Many celebrities quickly came out in support of Angela Carini, criticizing the IOC's judgment and even labelling Imane Khelif as "biologically male" and "transgender". However, Imane Khelif, who has received a lot of criticism on social media, including from novelist JK Rowling and tech billionaire Elon Musk, does not identify as trans or intersex.

The development has sparked a controversy about athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) competing in women's events. However, many fans embrace the Algerian fighter, claiming that having different chromosomes does not make her any less of a woman. All the discussion on X (formerly known as Twitter) has grabbed attention worldwide.

Khelif will return to the boxing ring on Saturday to compete in the light welterweight quarterfinals. This time, she'll face Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary.