Males and females face potential danger in Olympics boxing match

Italy’s Angela Carini, an Olympics boxer, expressed her frustration and declared that it was unfair after Algerian boxer Imane Khelif punched her hard in the face twice, leading to Carini quitting the women’s welterweight bout just 46 seconds into the fight.

While hard hits are common in boxing, Khelif is suspected of being a biological male and was previously disqualified at the World Championships for testing positive for high levels of testosterone.

Thursday’s fight highlighted concerns regarding the participation of biological males in women’s competitions.

Another boxer, Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan, who was disqualified from the 2023 world championships for failing gender-eligibility tests, is scheduled to fight on Friday against Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova.

The risks of allowing biological males to compete against women extend beyond unfair competition to potential serious harm for female opponents, as seen in previous incidents where trans women injured female athletes in sports events.

Various sports governing bodies have tightened eligibility criteria for women’s competitions in response, while some sports permit transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports with reduced testosterone levels.

The need for sensible gender-eligibility standards, including verifiable hormonal levels, is crucial to ensure fair and safe competition in sports, as highlighted by the concerns raised by Angela Carini.