Italian boxer Angela Carini has expressed her desire to apologize to Algeria’s Imane Khelif following their controversial women’s 66kg bout at the Paris Olympics.
Carini, who was defeated by Khelif in just 46 seconds, refused to shake hands and broke down in tears after the fight, citing severe pain from a nose injury as the reason for her decision to stop the match.
In an interview with Italian daily Gazzetta, Carini expressed regret over her actions and the controversy that ensued. She explained that her refusal to shake hands was not intentional.
“I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke,” Carini said. She reaffirmed that while she stood by her decision to stop the fight, the lack of a handshake was an emotional reaction rather than a deliberate slight.
The controversy surrounding Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who were both disqualified from the 2023 World Boxing Championships, has added to the tension. Despite their disqualifications by the International Boxing Association (IBA), both athletes are competing in the Paris Games under International Olympic Committee (IOC) regulations.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams assured that all athletes, including Khelif and Lin, meet the necessary criteria for participation in the Olympic Games, emphasizing that their disqualification by the IBA was deemed arbitrary.