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| Algeria's Imane Khelif leaves after her women's 66kg preliminaries round of 16 boxing match against Italy's Angela Carini during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP) (Photo by MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images) ORIG FILE ID: 2164126386Less |
The 2024 Paris Olympics finds itself embroiled in controversy over its decision to include a couple of boxers in women's boxing tournaments who have had their gender eligibility questioned.
And the controversy has reached a boiling point after a boxer withdrew 46 seconds into a bout against one of the boxers in question during a match Thursday in France.
The controversy has taken over social media with many celebrities sounding off on the International Olympic Committee's decision to allow the boxers in the tournament, with Jake Paul, J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk joining a chorus for change.
Before we look at their reaction to the controversy, here's the backstory.
Algeria's Imane Khelif wins bout vs Italy's Angela Carini
Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan, who is also competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, both won medals at the 2023 world championships before tournament officials announced that the boxers had failed gender eligibility tests. The organizers stripped the boxers of their medals.
But this week, the IOC said both boxers met the criteria to compete in France.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams explained to reporters: "They've been competing in boxing for a very long time. They've achieved all the eligibility requirements in terms of sex and age. We're following the rules in place in Tokyo."
He added: “I would just say that everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules. They are women in their passports and it is stated that is the case.”
Khelif won the bout vs. Carini after landing a single punch Thursday on Carini's nose.
Jake Paul slams Olympics for allowing Imane Khelif to compete: 'This is wrong'
Pro boxer and social media influencer Jake Paul posted the following message on X in response to a video showing the short boxing match between Carini and Khelif.
"This is sickening," he wrote. "This is a travesty. Doesn’t matter what you believe. This is wrong and dangerous."
J.K. Rowling sounds off on Imane Khelif vs Angel Carini bout: 'This isn't sport'
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was particularly vocal on X, writing, among other things: "Watch this (whole thread), then explain why you’re OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment. This isn’t sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over women."
Elon Musk joins the chorus crying for change
X owner Elon Musk replied to a post from Riley Gaines that said "Men don't belong in women's sports" with a one-word answer.
"Absolutely," he wrote.
The controversy is bound to continue, especially if Khelif continues to advance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
USA TODAY Sports' Josh Peter contributed to this story.
- Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic
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