The Italian boxer who pulled out of a controversial fight after 46 seconds is set to receive Olympic champion prize money.
Imane Khelif was declared the winner of her women's 66kg bout with Angela Carini on Thursday (1 August) after landing only a few punches.
The Algerian boxer is one of two boxers competing in this year’s Olympics who failed gender eligibility tests at the 2023 World Championships.
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Alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, Khelif was disqualified from the competition as International Boxing Association (IBA) president Umar Kremlev said they ‘proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded’. It said they had elevated levels of testosterone and couldn’t compete.
However, the IBA doesn’t have as much of a say over the sport at the Paris Olympics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said they were happy for the boxers to compete.
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Neither Khelif or Lin have ever publicly identified as a man, transgender, intersex or non-binary.
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However, in response to Carini abandoning her fight against Khelif after 46 seconds, the IBA has decided to award her its prize money as if she were an Olympic champion.
“I couldn’t look at her tears,” Kremlev said. “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.”
In May, the IBA announced it would award all Olympic champs and medallists this year allotted prize money to support the athletes.
Gold medallists are to get $100,000 (£78,100) with $50,000 (£39,000) going to the athlete, $25,000 (£19,500) to their National Federation and $25,000 to their coach. It’s down to $50,000 to be split between them for silver and $25,000 for bronze.
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Then, athletes who lose in the quarterfinals and finish fifth will each get $10,000 (£7,800) from the IBA.
Despite being angry at the end of her short-lived fight, Carini has said the backlash against Khelif made her ‘sad’.
She added: "I'm sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision."
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And following the controversial fight, the IOC issued a statement on Khelif’s inclusion in the games as it reaffirmed 'every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination'.
“All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit,” it added.
Topics: Boxing, Money, Olympics, Sport, Imane Khelif
Jess Battison