Imane Khelif's next opponent breaks silence after boxer beat Italian rival in seconds after previously failing gender test
2 August 2024, 13:33
Imane Khelif's next opponent has broken her silence ahead of their fight at the weekend.
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It comes after Italy's Angela Carini was forced to quit a fight against Khelif after just 46 seconds, when two punches saw her helmet dislodged.
Carini refused to shake hands with Khelif after the fight as she wept on the canvas with a possible broken nose.
The fight has since sparked a gender row as Khelif was previously disqualified from the 2023 World Championships for failing a gender eligibility test.
But Khelif's next opponent, Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori, remained unfazed about facing her this weekend.
The pair will face off in the women's welterweight quarterfinals on Saturday.
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"I'm not scared," Hamori said.
"I don't care about the press story and social media. If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win."
Hamori said she had chosen to stay off her phone to prepare for the fight.
"I'm trying to not use my phone before the fight," she said.
"I don't want to care about the comments or the story or the news. I just want to stay focused on myself. I did it before my last two fights, so I think this is the key, and we will see."
Responding to the controversy, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that Khelif was eligible to compete in the Olympics as her passport says she is a woman.
A statement read: "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 (PBU)."
The authority further clarified that "the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport," and confirmed that both athletes had previously competed in Tokyo.
"We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024," they added.
