Olympic boxer Angela Carini apologized for not shaking her opponent’s hand after the Italian quit the match less than one minute in, saying the controversy that followed “makes me sad” and that she would embrace the Algerian fighter Imane Khelif if they ever meet again.
Carini’s rebuff in the ring stirred up debate about whether Khelif should have been allowed to compete after she an unspecified gender eligibility test from the now-banned International Boxing Association.
“All this controversy makes me sad,” Carini said, according to the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. … If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”
The IOC has repeatedly stood behind Khelif’s right to compete in the Olympic games this week.
“Despite our requests to have certainties and guarantees, both for the safety of our athlete and for the regularity of the competition, they’ve confirmed that [Khelif] is within these parameters,” IOC president Giovanni Malagò said.
Carini also explained why she left the match, saying “My face and nose were hurting. I couldn’t breathe anymore. I thought about my family, I looked at my brother in the stands and I went to my corner to retire … I’ve never been hit with such a powerful punch.”
The Italian boxer added that her decision to leave was not a pre-meditated action and she apologized for not shaking hands with Khelif, who twice tried unsuccessfully to acknowledge her defeated opponent, following the bout.
“It wasn’t something I intended to do,” Carini said. “Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else.”
“I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke,” she continued. “I don’t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.”
