The Queen...and Angela Carini
Update 413 The Queen Special #BeMore Porcupine
I am coming back much earlier than expected due to the amazing events of today at the Olympics. However let’s start with the Queen ( and Daniel Craig) and how to do a proper Olympic Opening Ceremony ( thanks to a wonderful reader for the brilliant suggestion 😊) :
Angela Carini, Hero
Kellie-Jay Keen provided live coverage of the bout this morning between a woman, Angela Carini of Italy, and a man, Imane Khelif of Algeria. To remind readers, Dr Emma Hilton, a well-respected developmental biologist, has conducted research that shows a male boxer’s punch is 160% more powerful than a woman’s punch. After receiving two or three punches to the face which were clearly the kind of punches she had never experienced before, Carini pulled out of the contest. While it is a tragedy that all her Olympic hopes have been dashed in this totally unfair way, she was brave to even get in the ring and equally brave to pull out when she realised how outgunned she was. I agree with KJK that this may be a seminal moment in this fight but especially when I have seen the media reaction not only from those who we can rely on to run ‘gender critical’ stories but also from those who are normally totally off with the gender woo! I quote reports below and the link to the full article is at the end of each piece ( all stories 01 August). All thoughts gratefully received.
https://x.com/ThePosieParker/status/1818965310327619629
Chris Davie in The Metro ( Italy's PM blasts Olympics after female boxer quits fight vs Imane Khelif ) reports:
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has slammed the decision to allow Imane Khelif to compete in the women’s boxing after Angela Carini abandoned her fight against the Algerian after just 46 seconds on Thursday.
Khelif, who competed at the Tokyo Games in 2021, was disqualified from the final of the Women’s World Championships last year for failing International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules which prevents athletes with XY chromosomes from participating in women’s events.
The Algerian has been cleared to compete at her [ HIS!!] second Olympics as the competition is run by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has released a statement insisting that all boxers ‘comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations’.
But Khelif’s first appearance in Paris lasted less than a minute after Carini waved off the fight having taken a heavy punch to the face inside 30 seconds.
The Italian went back to her corner and was heard saying to her coach, ‘it’s not fair’ and ‘it hurts like hell’.
Imane Khelif (Getty)
Carini’s was in tears in the ring as the official announcement was made that Khelif had won the fight.
Speaking shortly after Carini’s decision to withdraw, Italian PM, Meloni, criticised the IOC’s decision to allow Khelif to compete and said the contest ‘was not a competition on equal terms’.
‘I do not agree with the IOC’s choice, I have not for years,’ Meloni said.
‘When in 2021 the IOC changed the regulation on this matter we presented a motion to point out the consequences that this could have.’
Ollie Lewis in The Daily Mail ( Imane Khelif's next opponent at the Olympic Games confirmed: Algerian boxer will take on Hungarian rival Anna Luca Hamori after her Italian opponent withdrew in just 46 seconds ) reports:
Imane Khelif's next opponent has been confirmed, with Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori to step in the ring with the Algerian at the Olympic Games.
Boxing at this year's Games in Paris been marred by conflicting gender eligibility rules in Paris, with Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting allowed to compete despite being disqualified from last year's world championships.
The pair failed unspecified gender eligibility tests and were deemed to have a competitive advantage, but the International Olympic Committee have allowed both to compete.
That decision has sparked outrage among the boxing community and it came to a head on Thursday when Italy's Angela Carini withdrew from her bout against Khelif after just 46 seconds, having felt the power of two of her [ HIS!] punches.
Ellie Ng in The Irish News ( UN special rapporteur on violence against women criticises boxing fight ) reports:
The UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women and girls (VAWG) has condemned the decision to allow Imane Khelif to compete in women’s boxing at the Olympics, with MPs and JK Rowling among other critics.
It comes after Italian boxer Angela Carini’s women’s 66kg clash with the Algerian boxer was abandoned after just 46 seconds.
The build-up to the fight was marred by controversy following the inclusion of Khelif, who was one of two athletes cleared to compete in the women’s boxing after being disqualified from last year’s women’s world boxing championships in New Delhi for failing to meet the necessary gender eligibility criteria.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams said the two boxers fighting at the Olympics after being disqualified from last year’s world championships are “real people” who have been competing “for many years” and that “this is not a transgender issue”, the BBC reported. [ Dusty - SHAME!!]
Angela Carini pictured in floods of tears after the match
Reem Alsalem, the UN’s special rapporteur on VAWG, said Carini “rightly followed her instincts and prioritised her physical safety, but she and other female athletes should not have been exposed to this physical and psychological violence based on their sex”.
Rowling, who has become known as a fierce advocate for the rights of biological women, labelled the IOC safeguarding “a joke”.
James Reynolds in The Daily Mail ( Italian PM blasts IOC over Olympic female boxing decision ) reports:
Italy's Prime Minister has hit out at the International Olympic Committee after Italian boxer Angela Carini conceded her Olympic Round of 16 fight with Algeria's Imane Khelif in what has become one of the most controversial Olympic bouts of all time.
Carini threw in the towel after just 46 seconds, throwing her helmet to the floor as the fight was abandoned before yelling: 'This is unjust.' Carini's opponent Khelif has been in the spotlight for failing a gender eligibility test at a tournament last year.
She [ HE!!! Aghhhh!] was, however, ruled eligible to compete in the boxing competition at the Paris Olympics, which is being organised by the International Olympic Committee.
Italian premier Giorgia Meloni shared her fury at the decision after Carini was seen devastated after this morning's fight.
'It is a fact that with the levels of testosterone present in the blood of the Algerian athlete the race at the start does not seem fair,' she said, adding she has opposed the IOC's stance 'for years'.
Jack Otway in GB News ( Olympics fans rage as athlete who has failed gender test wins boxing fight - 'End of equality in sport' ) reports:
© GB News
Fans of the Olympics have raged on social media after Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won her first bout on Thursday.
The 25-year-old star has been cleared to compete in the women's event amid a gender eligibility row, with Khelief previously disqualified from the Women's World Boxing Championships last year.
Khelif had been kicked out after her [ HIS!!!] elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria.
The Algerian Olympic Committee, for their part, hit back by saying her [ HIS!] elimination was part of a 'conspiracy' to stop them from winning a gold medal. They also said her [ HIS!] high testosterone levels were down to 'medical reasons'. [ Dusty - What? Like being a man?]
On Thursday, Khelif took the ring for the first time at the Olympics.
She beat Italian star Angela Carini, who withdrew after just 46 seconds following two early punches in the opening round.
THE BBC HAVE NOT COVERED THIS!!
Tom Morgan and Ben Rumsby in The Telegraph ( TV commentators silent on Olympics boxing gender row ) report:
Imane Khelif (red) won after her [ HIS!!] opponent Angela Carini (blue) abandoned the fight - Getty Images/Richard Pelham
TV viewers were kept in the dark about the mounting Olympic gender row as the Algerian fighter who failed two sex tests felled an Italian opponent with one ferocious punch.
The BBC had chosen not to screen any live footage of the 46-second mismatch, while Eurosport screened the IOC-approved Olympic Broadcasting Services feed, on which the commentary team did not once mention the furore.
IOC attempts to “dial down” scrutiny of Algerian fighter Imane Khelif have prompted inevitable questions about whether the world feed commenter on duty, Hannah Rankin, was told not to mention the row.
Angela Carini abandoned the fight after 46 seconds with a suspected broken nose and is believed to have complained to her corner non e giusto (“it’s not right”). To add to the dismay of viewers, however, Eurosport, which was broadcasting the fight, did not mention scrutiny around Khelif in the 66kg weight category at all during coverage.
The BBC, meanwhile, had no live footage of the fight available across its two Olympic channels as the broadcaster instead showed a British rowing medal ceremony on BBC 1 and live badminton on iPlayer.
Sami Quadri in The Evening Standard ( Italian boxer 'never felt punch like this' as she quit Olympic bout against athlete who failed 'gender test' ) reports:
Italian boxer Angela Carini says she quit the highly contentious Olympic match between her and Algeria's Imane Khelifhas after just 46 seconds because she “never felt a punch like this”.
The Italian insisted she was not making a political statement and refusing to fight Khelif, but rather her nose “hurt so much”.
Khelif, who failed a testosterone test at last year's World Championships, was allowed to compete despite being banned from a gold-medal bout in Delhi by the International Boxing Association.
The IBA cited Khelif's failure of biochemical tests in two consecutive years.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is now facing mounting pressure to explain its decision to permit Khelif's participation, given the uncertainty surrounding her [ HIS!] sex classification.
Ben Rumsby in The Telegraph ( Q&A: Everything you need to know about the boxing scandal which has rocked the Games ) reports:
Italy's Angela Carini (right) abandoned her bout with Algeria's Imane Khelif after 46 seconds with a suspected broken nose - Fabio Bozzani/Anadolu/Getty Images
The gender row engulfing the Olympic women’s boxing competition has intensified after the first opponent of the Algerian fighter who failed two sex tests abandoned their bout after 46 seconds.
Italy’s Angela Carini was left with a suspected broken nose by Imane Khelif, whom the International Olympic Committee controversially allowed to enter the welterweight event in Paris despite the 25-year-old being disqualified by the International Boxing Association last year following gender testing.
Khelif’s ongoing participation has raised serious questions for the IOC and IBA, several of which remain unanswered.
What is Khelif’s actual sex?
This has yet to be confirmed and there may not even be a straightforward answer. Khelif was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Boxing Championships after undergoing what IBA president Umar Kremlev told Russian news agency TASS had been DNA tests.
He added: “Based on the results of the tests, it was proven that they have XY [male] chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from the competition.”
The IBA this week confirmed Khelif was also tested at the previous year’s World Championships, adding she [ HE!] had not undergone “a testosterone examination” but was “subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential”.
It said Khelif had initially lodged an appeal against her [HIS!] disqualification with the Court of Arbitration for Sport only to withdraw it. The IOC, meanwhile, has already stated “this is not a transgender issue” and pointed out she [ HE!] also competed at the last Olympics in Tokyo but it has provided no further clarity as to Khelif’s status.
It is most likely the boxer is an athlete born with differences in sex development (DSD), akin to middle-distance runner Caster Semenya. The extent of any such differences can vary but those with DSD assigned as female at birth often possess internal testes that produce testosterone, giving them a potential size and strength advantage over those without them.
Carini was left with a suspected broken nose by Khelif after the Algerian landed a punch moments before her opponent called time on the bout at the 46 second mark - Fabio Bozzani/Anadolu via Getty Images
Why is she [ HE!] allowed to compete at the Olympics?
After previously policing gender eligibility at the Games, the IOC has passed the buck to the international federations of individual sports, many of which have now banned transgender women from competing in female events. The likes of athletics also have rules in place governing those with DSD, which are enforced at the Olympics.
So, under normal circumstances, you would expect the IOC to follow the IBA’s lead when it comes to Khelif’s eligibility. However, the IBA has not run the Olympic boxing competition since 2016 following a major corruption scandal, with the IOC instead taking charge.
That has seen it use arguably out-of-date gender-eligibility rules at the Games, prompting major criticism from women’s rights campaigners. The fact it is effectively at war with the IBA and that a rival international federation, World Boxing, could end up running the sport at the Olympics in future have also not helped when it comes to alignment between the two bodies.
It is also unclear why Khelif was disqualified by the IBA only before her [ HIS!] gold-medal match at last year’s World Championships given she [HE!] had been tested a year earlier, when she [ HE!] won silver.
Is Khelif the only boxer to fail a gender test?
No. Friday could witness a repeat of Thursday’s shocking scenes when Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting fights Sitora Turdibekova from Uzbekistan at 2.30pm (UK time) in the featherweight division.
Like Khelif, Lin was disqualified from last year’s World Championships as a result of similar tests conducted there and the previous year.
She [ HE!] was stripped of a bronze medal won at last year’s event. She [HE!] had won gold the previous year, to add to a bantamweight title she [HE!] had claimed in 2018.
Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP
How likely is Khelif to win?
She [HE!] was 3/10 on to win Olympic gold after her [HIS!] victory on Thursday, making her [ HIM!] the heavy favourite. The majority of leading bookmakers then halted betting on her [ HIS!] category, signalling how strong a favourite she [HE!] has become.
What happens next?
Carini abandoning her fight could spark a major diplomatic and legal row, with Georgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, branding the bout with Khelif “not even a contest”.
It will be interesting to see if further abandonments, or even boycotts, follow. Sharron Davies, the British swimming icon turned women’s rights campaigner, told Telegraph Sport: “Boxing countries need to come together and say, ‘Enough!’, to protect female boxers and the integrity of the sport.”
Rory Robinson In The Daily Express ( Steve Bunce calls Olympics gender row 'absolute disaster' after fighter quits in seconds) reports:
Steve Bunce commented on the ongoing women's Olympic boxing controversy© Getty
Imane Khelif's win at the 2024 Paris Olympics has reignited intense discussions about gender eligibility in sports. BBC Radio 5 Live boxing analyst Steve Bunce described the victory as a disaster for the Algerian boxer, whose success was stained by controversy over her [ HIS!] eligibility to compete in women's events.
Khelif faced Italy's Angela Carini in the women's 145lb [66kg] class. The match ended abruptly when Khelif landed a powerful right-hand punch to Carini's face, prompting the Italian fighter to signal for a time-out. Her coach tried to adjust her headgear, which had slipped due to the impact. Although she briefly continued, Carini eventually ended the fight with 2:14 remaining in the first round, citing severe pain in her nose and concerns for her health.
The victory garnered significant backlash, especially from prominent figures in combat athletics. Former UFC champion Israel Adesanya criticized Khelif, stating, "Men should not be boxing women. Lol, he couldn't even finish her. Anyway, People > politics."
Imane Khelif won in less than a minute© Getty
Women's boxing champion Claressa Shields echoed similar sentiments in an interview with Fox News, advocating for gender-specific competitions and suggesting that transgender athletes should have their category. Khelif has competed in women's athletics since her [ HIS!] boxing debut in 2018.
From Twitter
https://x.com/Matt_Pinner/status/1819017743124803689
https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1819007216214573268
This could be a pivotal moment. I do hope so!
Angela Carini
Endpiece by Liz
In many ways this could be a moment to celebrate in a strange way!! Anyway we need some light relief! Over to Liz
#BeMorePorcupine
Great commentary from Megyn Kelly and Charlie Kirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqF54777VsY&t=3183s
I watched Kellie-Jays coverage. I felt so much outrage and cried for Carini and it was Kellie-Jays optimism that there would be a backlash that buoyed me up from the despair.
Thanks for a great record Dusty. What a disgrace the IOC is. They’re now complaining about the poor victimised man but not a word about the female boxer and her shattered dreams. And now another female has to put herself in danger or pull out.
Still can’t believe that the Queen managed that parachute jump at her age! 😄