Mary Kom and Dutee Chand Speak on Imane Khalif’s Controversy at Paris Olympics

Indian boxing legend Mary Kom and athlete Dutee Chand have commented on the controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khalif at the Paris Olympics. The issue arose when Italian boxer Angela Carini abruptly quit her match against Khalif in the 66 kg women’s category, resulting in Khalif winning the bout within just 46 seconds.

Carini cited discomfort during the match as the reason for her withdrawal. In an interview, Mary Kom, a celebrated Olympic medalist, responded to the controversy by saying, “What to do. It’s better not to comment because it’s not in my hand. It feels bad sometimes also, how do they know that? But I will still say that officials will handle that… I am nobody to comment.”

The controversy around Khalif is compounded by her previous disqualification from the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s Championships last year due to elevated testosterone levels. However, she was cleared to compete in the Paris Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), despite the IBA’s ban on Olympic boxing due to governance issues.

Indian athlete Dutee Chand, who faced a similar issue in 2014 regarding her eligibility due to hyperandrogenism, expressed her support for Khalif. Chand criticized the questioning of Khalif’s eligibility, emphasizing that if the IOC had no objections, others should not raise concerns. “A lot of issues occur when such a situation comes up. I faced it in 2014. Before I was selected for the Commonwealth Games, I was dropped from the team,” Chand said. She further added, “When IOC made no complaints that she is male by gender, how can someone question her?.. She has lost 9 games so far (in her career). Today, she (Angela Carini) is questioning as she lost the game. She would not have raised a question had she won.”

Following the match, Carini, who appeared visibly upset, refrained from shaking hands with Khalif. In her post-match interview, Carini described the match’s end as a result of the pain she experienced. “I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘enough,’ because I didn’t want to, I did not want to, I could not finish the match,” Carini said, adding, “I am not here to judge or pass judgment. If an athlete is this way, and in that sense, it is not right or it is right, it is not up to me to decide.”

The IOC defended Khalif’s right to compete, asserting that all athletes in the boxing tournament comply with the regulations and eligibility criteria set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit. The IOC condemned the previous disqualifications and clarified that the athletes involved were victims of arbitrary decisions by the IBA. “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure,” the IOC stated, adding, “We are committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter.”