Boxer Who Defeated Imane Khelif In 2022 World Championship Defends Her Amid Olympics Controversy

Amy Broadhurst, who defeated Imane Khelif in 2022, has defended her former opponent amid the gender controversy after her match with Italy’s Angela Carini.

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In a post on X(formerly Twitter), Broadhurst said she didn’t believe Khelif did anything to cheat and mentioned her previous record before the Olympics. “Have a lot of people texting me over Imane Khelif. Personally, I don’t think she has done anything to ‘cheat’. I thinks it’s the way she was born & that’s out of her control. The fact that she has been beating by 9 females before says it all,” she explained.

Carini,25, forfeited the match against Khelif after the Algerian boxer landed a heavy punch that caused her to quit after 46 seconds. After her hand was raised to indicate her victory, Carini fell to her knees in tears and told her coach, “It’s not right, it’s not right! ” the Independent reported. The match sparked controversy on social media, leading to misinformation about Khelif’s gender and opposing the idea that she should continue competing in the Games. Carini said she wanted to apologize to Khelif over the harassment she’s been facing and admitted to being a poor sport by not shaking her opponents hand after the match.

“All this controversy makes me sad. I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.It wasn’t something I intended to do. Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke.”

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In response to the social media backlash, the IOC said in a statement that it was “saddened” by the abuse the two athletes were receiving.

“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure, especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving. Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.”

The outlet stated that Khelif is scheduled to fight on Saturday, and her pending victory will secure her a bronze medal and the chance to compete for silver or gold.

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