Khelif was allowed to compete at these Paris Games despite being thrown out of last year’s world championships in Delhi for failing a testosterone test. Lin Yu-ting, who fights on Friday, was disqualified for the same reason.
Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, said that DNA tests had “proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded”.
XY is the male chromosomal make-up, while female is XX. In contrast, Carini, 25, had been distraught in the aftermath of her fight, disclosing that she had feared for her life. “I am heartbroken,” she said. “I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this. After the second blow to the nose, I couldn’t breathe anymore. I went to my coach and said ‘enough’.
“It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment.”
A United Nations expert unequivocally condemned the Olympic rules that enabled the bout to take place.
