Italy PM Meloni's pep talk to boxer Angela Carini: 'In an equal competition...'

New Delhi,UPDATED: Aug 2, 2024 09:30 IST

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with boxer Angela Carini in Paris on Thursday, offering words of encouragement after Carini abandoned her Olympic bout against Algerian opponent Imane Khelif. The match sparked a heated debate on gender eligibility rules in women's sports.

Meloni posted a picture of herself consoling Carini and wrote in Italian on X, "I know that you won't give up Angela, and I know that one day you will get what you deserve through strength and sweat. In a competition that is finally equal."

Carini described Meloni's greeting as that of a mother meeting a daughter, urging her not to give up on her dreams.

Carini, 25, lasted only 46 seconds in the fight after sustaining a series of blows from Khelif, who had previously failed a gender eligibility test at last year’s World Championships.

The Italian pugilist fought back tears as she ended the match, later telling the BBC, "It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment."

The boxer refused to criticise Khelif's placement in the women's competition, saying, "I wish her to carry on until the end and that she can be happy. I am someone who doesn’t judge anyone. I am not here to give judgements."

Khelif's participation in the women's boxing competition at the Paris Olympics has been met with criticism from prominent figures like JK Rowling and Elon Musk, who argue that athletes with male chromosomes should not compete in women's events.