WATCH: Female Boxer Angela Carini Breaks Down In Tears After Abandoning Match Against Opponent Who Failed Gender Test - 'This Is Glorified Male Violence Against Women'

At the Paris Olympics on Thursday, the world was shocked after Italian female boxer Angela Carini was forced to participate in a match against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. The contest, which was stopped by Carini just 46 seconds after entering the ring, saw Khelif, who failed a gender test, repeatedly strike blow after blow into the young woman's face. Footage of the fight and its aftermath, where Carini can be seen breaking down in tears, has ignited a firestorm on social media, with many demanding to know why the athlete, who had XY chromosomes, was allowed to compete in the Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed the fight between the two despite the fact that the International Boxing Association (IBA) had barred Khelif from its competition last year. In a statement, the IBA explained that the athlete, alongside Olympic boxer Lin Yu-ting, was disqualified for "their failure to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women's competition, as set and laid out in the IBA Regulations."

"Point to note, the athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a seperate and recognized test, whereby the speifics remain confidential. This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors," the IBA's statement continues. "For clarification on why the IOC permits athletes with competitive advantages to compete in their events, we urge interested parties to seek answers directly from the IOC."

Despite the ban from the IBA, the IOC went forward with allowing Khelif to compete against female athletes, leading to Carini concluding the fight with a potentially broken nose. "I'm used to suffering. I've never taken a punch like that. It's impossible to continue. I'm nobody to say it's illegal," she told reporters as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I got into the ring to fight. But I didn't feel like it anymore after the first minute. I started to feel a strong pain in my nose. I didn't give up, but a punch hurt too much, so I said enough. I'm leaving with my head held high."

Carini's coach, Emanuele Renzini, explained that many in Italy didn't want her to go through with the fight against Khelif but that she was motivated to show up. "It would have been easier not to show up because all of Italy had been asking her not to fight for days. But Angela was motivated and wanted to do it," he explained. "Of course, when she met her opponent at the draw, she said, 'It's not fair.' But there was no premeditation here today. She quit after taking one punch. She told me she didn't feel she could fight."

In response to the match, women's rights activist Riley Gaines condemned the fight as glorified violence against women. "After 46 seconds and a few hits to the face by a male, Carini forfeited the fight," she wrote. "Call me crazy, but It's almost as if women don't want to be punched in the face by a male as the world watches and applauds. This is glorified male violence against women."

Angela Carini (blue, female) abandons fight against Imane Khelif (red, male) a few minutes into fight /1 pic.twitter.com/yOIvZkDaow

— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) August 1, 2024

A couple of punches to the head and it’s all over. /2 pic.twitter.com/6egSrRj51s

— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) August 1, 2024

Angela Carini’s Olympic dreams smashed today. She breaks down in tears. /7 pic.twitter.com/CBNK2pNFo4

— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) August 1, 2024

You can follow Sterling on X/Twitter here.