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Italian women’s boxer Angela Carini alleged she has suffered online abuse in the aftermath of her infamous defeat to Algeria’s Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics last summer.
Carini quit her Olympic bout against Khelif after just 46 seconds, as images of the Algerian’s punches against Carini shook viewers across the world. Khelif, who previously failed sex eligibility tests for another international competition, went on to win gold.
The incident prompted global backlash from advocates for protecting women’s sports, especially after Carini quit her match and cried to reporters about the pain she felt from Khelif’s punches.
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Imane Khelif, left, punches Angela Carini during their bout during the Paris Olympic Games in Villepinte on Aug. 1, 2024. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images)
On Thursday, Carini published a video on Instagram with screenshots of messages of abuse she has received on social media — some begging her not to go to the Olympics again, others calling her “a coward” and “the shame of the Italy team” — and a voiceover of the 26-year-old explaining how she felt.
“Have you ever wondered how hard it was for me to face these words? What I had to endure and endure day after day? What I had to face in my silence, while preserving my health from a stupid social network, from people who speak and say words without thinking twice?” Carini said. “Because for them it’s just a sentence, it’s just a word, it’s just fun, it’s just wanting to follow the crowd.”
Carini’s decision to quit the fight fueled a discussion far beyond Paris about whether Khelif should have been allowed to compete, with President Donald Trump and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni speaking out.
She said the incident has “destroyed” her career.
“For many it is easy to forget the past, but for me it wasn’t,” Carini said in her video. “That past that marked my life. That past that left wounds inside me that I try to heal day after day, but like an infected wound, it bleeds and hurts.
“That past that changed and destroyed my career, built year after year with sacrifices, dedication, tenacity and a lot of passion…. That career that is underestimated and belittled by those who preferred to have a laugh for a few moments, preferred to throw the stone.”
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Angela Carini reacts after abandoning her fight against Imane Khelif at the Olympic Games on Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
After Paris, Carini said she closed herself “in silence” with her family and “tried to rebuild [herself] in small pieces.”
Carini returned to the ring in December, winning her eighth Italian title and gold at the World Boxing Cup in Poland.
“Putting all the disappointment aside, I got back into that ring, reconfirming myself as Italian champion and bringing home medals from important international tournaments,” Carini said. “Getting back into that ring was a tough challenge.”
“These words of mine will not change the world. I will not make people become kinder. But at least I invite everyone to reflect…. A word, a gesture, a command can hurt and destroy a person.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended the results of the Paris Games, stating that Khelif and another boxer that faced gender eligibility concerns were the victims of a “sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.” Khelif has also publicly denied being transgender.
International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev demanded in July that Khelif’s Olympic gold medal be stripped in an effort to achieve “transparency and openness.” Khelif was previously disqualified from the IBA for failing a gender eligibility test. Kremlev claimed at the time that unpublished DNA test results showed Khelif had XY chromosomes.
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Imane Khelif, right, defeated Angela Carini on Aug. 1, 2024, at the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/John Locher)
World Boxing, the international governing body for the sport, announced a new policy in August that introduces mandatory sex testing to ensure only females compete in the women’s category. Khelif has appealed the new policy that will keep the athlete out of any competitions pending the results of genetic testing.
Trump previously said there will be a “strong form of testing” when asked about potential genetic testing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at a press conference on Aug. 5.
New IOC president Kirsty Coventry has initiated a task force to look at gender eligibility issues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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