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.