Angela Carini issues apology to Imane Khelif for no handshake: 'It wasn't something I intended to do'

Italian boxer Angela Carini opened up on Thursday about her Olympic bout with Algerian boxer Imane Khelif which lasted just 46 seconds. Carini’s loss sparked widespread controversy about her opponent, Khelif, who had previously failed an unspecified gender eligibility test from the now-banned International Boxing Association last year.

Khelif, who was assigned female at birth, was found to possess XY chromosomes. Though rare, her condition does not disqualify her from competing at the Olympics and in other competitions. Prior to her matchup against Carini, the Algerian was 9-5 in fights.

After taking a punch directly to the face in the opening round bout, the Italian boxer withdrew from the fight. Carini broke down in tears as she dealt with the pain of the punch and the emotional pain that came from losing at the Olympics, where she hoped to go for gold in honor of her deceased father who served as her coach before his passing.

“My face and nose were hurting,” Carini said, explaining her reaction to the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport. “I couldn’t breathe anymore. I thought about my family, I looked at my brother in the stands and I went to my corner to retire. … I’ve never been hit with such a powerful punch.”

Carini: ‘I don’t have anything against Khelif… would embrace her’

Carini’s failure to shake Khelif’s hand was seen as a sign that she did not respect her opponent, nor her inclusion in the competition. However, the Italian has since issued an apology, telling the Gazzetta dello Sport that she would “embrace her” if they met again.

“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.”

“It wasn’t something I intended to do,” Carini added of the missing handshake. “Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don’t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.”

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni discussed the issue with IOC president Thomas Bach during a meeting in Paris on Friday.

“Despite our requests to have certainties and guarantees, both for the safety of our athlete and for the regularity of the competition, they’ve confirmed that (Khelif) is within these parameters,” Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malagò said.

IOC defends decision

The IOC addressed the concerns in a lengthy statement on Thursday.

“Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination,” the statement began. “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 (PBU) … . As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport.”

The IOC statement also addressed Khelif’s disqualification at the 2023 championships and why that doesn’t preclude her from competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.”