The Italian government and the
Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) on Thursday expressed concern
about the fact Italy's Angela Carini is set to face Imane
Khelif, an Algerian who was disqualified from last year's
women's boxing championships for failing gender-eligibility
tests, at the Paris Olympics on Friday.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has used a different
set of rules for admission to the Paris 2024 tournament and has
also allowed Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu‑ting to compete after she
was banned from the 2023 world championships too.
Carini is set to face Khelif in the round of 16 of the women's
welterweight (under 66kg) category.
Without specifically mentioning Khelif, CONI said that it has
"taken action with the International Olympic Committee to ensure
that the rights of all athletes comply with the Olympic Charter
and health regulations".
Family and Equal Opportunities Minister Eugenia Roccella went
further.
"It is of great concern to learn that two transgender people,
men who identify as women, were admitted to women's boxing
competitions at the Olympic Games in Paris after having been
excluded from recent competitions," Roccella said.
"It is surprising that there are no certain, strict, uniform
criteria at the international level, and that there can be a
suspicion, and far more than a suspicion, of an unfair and
potentially dangerous contest for one of the contenders at the
Olympics, an event that symbolizes sporting fairness".
Sports Minister Andrea Abodi echoed those comments.
"I find it difficult to understand that there is no alignment in
the parameters of minimum hormonal values ;;at an international
level, which includes the European and world championships and
the Olympics," Abodi said.
"In the event that represents the highest values ;;of sport, the
safety of female and male athletes must be guaranteed, as well
as respect for fair competition.
"That is not how it will be tomorrow for Angela Carini."
Carini, a 25-year-old from Naples, tried to remain unruffled.
"I have to adapt to what the IOC has decided, so tomorrow I will
go into the ring and give it my all," she said.
The Italian national boxing team, however, are concerned about
what may happen in the bout, sources said, while Italian Boxing
Federation (FPI) President Flavio D'Ambrosi is maintaining "an
institutional silence".
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