John Locher/AP
Italian Olympic boxer Angela Carini issued an apology to her most recent opponent amid speculation that she’s a transgender woman.
Carini lost to Algeria’s Imane Khelif on Thursday. Less than a minute into the three-round bout, Carini forfeited after taking a punch to the face from Khelif. She later told the media she had never been punched that hard before, leading some online to theorize that Khelif was born a man but now identifies as a woman. Fueling that speculation even further is the fact that she failed an eligibility test in 2023 at a tournament sanctioned by the International Boxing Association.
In reality, however, Khelif was assigned female at birth and has identified as a woman her entire life. She is believed to have a condition known as differences of sex development (DSD), which would explain why she may have XY chromosomes and higher levels of testosterone. When she was born, she was observed to have female external genitalia.
The International Olympic Committee published a statement Thursday condemning the “misleading” information about Khelif and
A day after the media frenzy that resulted from the match, Carini apologized for initially refusing to shake Khelif’s hand.
“It wasn’t something I intended to do,” Carini told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. “Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke.”
Carini said she would “embrace her” if the two were face-to-face again, and admitted she was saddened by the negative attention Khelif has received.
“All this controversy makes me sad,” Carini said.
“I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”