Imane Khelif’s opponent Angela Carini offered Olympic prize money despite quitting after 46 seconds
Angela Carini will be awarded with prize money by the IBA as if she were an Olympic champion.
The Italian abandoned her round-of-16 bout at the 2024 Paris Olympics against Algeria's Imane Khelif - one of the two athletes who failed gender eligibility tests at the World Championships - after receiving one significant blow in the opening 46 seconds.
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Carini left the ring in floods of tears and said she withdrew due to 'pain in the nose', adding she had 'never felt a punch like this'.
However, the IBA - who no longer run Olympic boxing - has confirmed that Carini will still receive $50,000 in prize money, while her federation will be given a further $25,000 and her coach an additional $25,000.
IBA president Umar Kremlev said in a released on Friday night: ";I couldn’t look at her tears.
"I am not indifferent to such situations, and I can assure that we will protect each boxer.
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"I do not understand why they kill women’s boxing. Only eligible athletes should compete in the ring for the sake of safety."
Kremlev also said that IBA will support Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan, who lost to Lin Yu-Ting on Friday - the other boxer at the centre the gender row.
Lin and Khelif failed unspecified IBA gender tests at the Women's World Championship in India but have been cleared to compete in the Paris Olympics by the IOC.
IBA president Umar Kremlev said that DNA tests had proved they had 'XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports events'.
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A statement from the IBA has since confirmed the pair 'did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential'.
Transitioning is illegal in Algeria and Khelif was assigned female at birth and continues to identify as female.
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Neither Khelif nor Lin identifies as transgender or intersex.
According to , Lin was the subject of further sex testing after returning home following the World Championship, which proved she was female.
The IOC suspended the IBA from running Olympic boxing in 2019 due to concerns over its finances, governance, ethics and officiating.
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As of the Tokyo Olympics, the IOC has run Olympic boxing and stripped the IBA of its status as the sport's world governing body in 2023 after failing to meet the required reforms set out by the non-governmental sports organisation.
Following on from Kremlev's statement IOC President Thomas Bach called an emergency press conference to address the situation.
”Every woman who is, according to the rules, [a woman] then has to be allowed [to compete],” he said.
“When you speak about human rights then you have [to speak about] the human rights of every woman to participate in a woman’s competition — and I would like to quote the Italian boxer, who was competing against the Algerian [Imane Khelife]:
[Angela Carini said:] “These controversies have definitely made me sad and I feel sorry for my opponent who is here also only to fight. I have nothing against Khelife — if I met her again I would hug her.”
Bach continues: “And I think this explains it all and this is what the Olympic spirit is all about.
"The respect for your opponent, whether you win or whether you lose and, by the way, both of these women have lost a number of fights.
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“Imane has lost nine fights in international competition and there was never an issue about this.
"She has even been invited by the Italian Boxing Federation to train with her fellow Italian athletes in Italy and there was no issue.”
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