Olympics
Forty six seconds, two punches and a minefield
Thursday’s Olympic bout between Imane Khelif and Angela Carini quickly turned ugly off the ring and blowback permeated well into Friday, when the IOC was forced to address a barrage of questions regarding its handling of gender issues in boxing.
Khelif’s second right hand hit Carini’s nose and the International Olympic Committee right in the gut as it struggles to find a caretaker for the sport globally, after stripping down the International Boxing Association in 2023 because of governance concerns. It was a worst-case scenario of sorts for the Paris 2024 organisers when the fight was called just 46 seconds after the Italian decided to retire, alleging that the punch “hurt me a lot”.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams expressed his get-well wishes the next morning, stating that “we don’t like to see injury to any athlete, obviously, and hope that she makes a full recovery”. But by then, the bout had scaled into a full-blown tornado well beyond the Paris arena. Or as the Englishman himself eloquently put it, “a minefield”.
Boxing in the 66kg category, Khelif had been previously disqualified from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi because she did not meet “eligibility criteria” according to the IBA. Yet, like Taiwan’s Lin Yu Ting, who boxes at 57kg and also failed such test by the global federation, she was still allowed to compete in the 2024 Olympics, the same way she did three years earlier in Tokyo.
The evident power struggle between both sports governing bodies has spilled into the political and social media arena as well, with politicians and celebrities aplenty chiming in the latest gender-spiked controversy: from US presidential candidate Donald Trump to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Citing athlete safety, the noise keeps rising while the safeguarding of the affected individuals also hangs in the balance, with online abuse another pressing concern.
“It’s a thorny issue which is part of a culture war-discussion. No one likes to see online aggression by anyone and we have had quite a bit of it. It’s unacceptable. We would hope that that stops. I’m not sure we can make it stop but it’s not helpful for the Games,” Adams understated. “These athletes are women. This was a made-up overnight test (by IBA). I don’t think we should give that any credence at all. If we do that, we start having the kind of witch hunts that we are having now.”
A delicate, controversial, complex, multi-layered subject that requires a serene discussion among experts in the field has been anything but since Carini’s almost immediate surrender. The matter of eligibility in this specific instance traces back the decision to the athlete’s passport and registered gender, according to the IOC. “The Algerian boxer was born female, registered female, lived her life as a female and boxed as a female. This is not a transgender case,” emphasised Adams. “This is not a man fighting a woman. Scientifically on this, there is consensus”.
Where consensus is lacking, however, is in how it is possible to establish a fair fight in such cases, especially regarding a combat discipline like boxing. One of the reasons that world sports did away with sex testing is the practical impossibility of applying a comprehensive, working, non-discriminatory protocol.
“For the time being, we have to go with the passport,” Adams argued. “We encourage a consensus. We have been addressing that for a while and it’s something to consider very seriously after the Paris Games. This is a minefield and we want a simple, black-and-white explanation of how we can determine this. That explanation does not exist neither in the scientific world nor anywhere else. If we can find a consensus, we will certainly work to apply that. Clearly that’s not going to happen at these Games but this is a question in all sports and we are open to listen to anyone with a solution”.
Openly critical of the IOC’s handling of the case, IBA is not expected to be part of that equation anytime soon, as the body presided by Thomas Bach has considered the Delhi disqualifications arbitrary decisions. “No one should change the rule during a competition. This decision was taken overnight by the CEO and maybe had something to do with the results beforehand, but we don’t really know. Fortunately, it’s not up to us to act on those suspicions because, if we did, we would probably be dealing with that forever,” the IOC spokesman said.
Adams also referenced sex testing, which ended in 1999. “I don’t think anyone from the athlete, political or scientific community wants to see a return to those scenes even if there were a sex test that everyone agreed with the criteria. I have spoken to some athletes who endured those sex tests in their teens and it was pretty disgraceful. Luckily it is behind us,” he explained.
The main controversy now lies with the Delhi testing protocol, whose results IBA considered “conclusively indicated” that both Khelif and Lin failed to meet the required eligibility criteria and gave them a competitive advantage over other female competitors. Since removed, the Algerian’s Paris 2024 bio profile stated that she had been disqualified from said world championships for elevated levels of testosterone.
While the IOC’s understanding is that it was indeed the case, it decided to erase that information after the Carini bout, alleging that there are many women who register higher testosterone levels than men and preferred not to elevate that test outcome into a truth.
“We have no knowledge of what the test where. They were cobbled together overnight to change the results. If you start working on suspicions, then we are in trouble and heading towards a gender-testing regime, which is not good for anybody. This woman has competed for a very long time against many opponents,” Adams repeated.
Like the IBA, the IOC insists that it always puts the interest of the athlete first. But walking the fine line between inclusivity, fairness and safety is a difficult balancing act. “A woman boxer is being stigmatised and potentially being forced out of competition. We need to look after them,” the Englishman reminded.
As for the controversy possibly undermining boxing’s options of making the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic programme, Adams denied such a notion. “We sincerely hope that it’s going to be in. It’s a good sport to watch that does a lot for socially deprived areas and people and we absolutely, actively want it to be in the Olympics. We took our role in the last two Games, but we are not a federation and don’t want to carry on. We encourage those who love boxing, particularly national federations, to work towards a new international body. I’m optimistic and the will is there by the IOC, which is important”.
Indeed, it is. Asked if he had watched the Carini-Khelif fight, Adams answered affirmatively, stating the obvious: that “it was over far too quickly”.
As for the controversy surrounding it, the IOC can only hope.
-insidethegames
Nigeria’s men’s and women’s flag football teams made history in Cairo by clinching gold at the first-ever IFAF African Flag Football Championships, a landmark moment in the sport’s journey towards its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
In a thrilling men’s final at Club One Stadium in Maadi, Nigeria edged host nation Egypt 13-12 before a lively home crowd. The match was attended by prominent dignitaries, including Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi.
The Nigerian women’s team also delivered a commanding performance in their final, defeating Morocco 26-12. Quarterback Anuoluwapo Bello led the charge with two decisive touchdowns in the second half, securing the title and underscoring Nigeria’s growing dominance in the sport.
Tunisia (men) and Egypt (women) took home bronze medals, completing the continent’s first-ever flag football championship podiums.
Africa Makes History
The two-day tournament (June 20–21, 2025), organized under the auspices of the Egyptian Federation of American Football, featured 11 teams from eight nations. It marked the opening event of IFAF’s 2025 Continental Championship Series, the most expansive competition cycle in flag football history, culminating in LA28.
As newly crowned African champions, both Nigerian teams earned automatic qualification for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships. The competition also saw 10 national teams receive their first-ever official world rankings.
Emotional Reactions from Champions and Rivals
“This is a great achievement for us and I’m proud of every woman here,” said Nigeria’s women’s quarterback Anuoluwapo Bello. “I’m excited for the opportunity to go to the World Championships and show everyone what we can do.”
“It’s amazing, surreal, historic and unbelievable,” added Nigeria’s men’s quarterback Hayes Obinna-Uzoh. “We’ve made history.”
Egypt’s men’s quarterback Mahmoud Aboushady praised the passionate home support: “We gave it our all but just came up short. The crowd was incredible — a big turnout, all cheering — and that was really touching.”
Morocco’s women’s centre Sonia Mouimen also reflected on the atmosphere: “We rarely see crowds this size making so much noise outside of soccer matches. I’m very proud of my team.”
NFL and IFAF: Partners in Growth
Flag football, one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, is expanding rapidly across Africa. Many IFAF member federations recorded more than 100% growth in participation last year.
The Cairo event was organized in partnership with the NFL, which is working with IFAF to build a sustainable development pathway for the sport across the continent.
Alongside the main competition, the NFL hosted a series of legacy-building activities:
- A continental youth flag football championship for U12 boys and girls
- A talent ID camp offering routes into the NFL Africa-Europe Academy and the International Player Pathway (IPP) program
- A coaching education clinic for aspiring female coaches, featuring IFAF Global Flag Ambassador Elisa De Santis (France)
Star NFL players of African descent, Bobby Okereke (New York Giants, Nigeria) and Tanoh Kpassagnon (Cote d’Ivoire/Uganda), were present in Cairo, joined by two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora, the NFL’s Africa lead.
“The first African Continental Championship was a tremendous success, and Egypt proved to be the perfect host,” said Umenyiora. “It was inspiring to see nations from across the continent come together and showcase their incredible talent.”
Looking Ahead
IFAF President Pierre Trochet hailed the championship as a foundational moment:
“Every player and official who set foot on the field in Cairo this week can claim a piece of history. More important than the history is the future. We are committed, alongside the NFL, to using this tournament as a springboard for long-term growth.”
Egyptian Federation President Ali Rafeek echoed the sentiment:
“No words can truly capture the emotion of this moment. It was a world-class competition filled with outstanding performances and incredible energy. Africa is officially on the flag football map.”
The event also marked the beginning of IFAF’s partnership with the International Testing Agency, which launched anti-doping education initiatives for athletes and officials during the championship.
The IFAF Continental Flag Football series continues later this year with EURO FLAG 2025 in Paris, France.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s directive banning citizens from 12 countries from entering the U.S. exempts athletes, and LA28 officials said on Thursday they were confident the Games had the full backing of the administration.
Trump signed the proclamation on Wednesday as part of an immigration crackdown he said was needed to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.
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“The important thing for us is that the federal government and this administration recognized the importance of the Olympics and the Games,” LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover told Reuters on Thursday.
“There is a carve-out in the order in the travel ban that allows for and assures that there will be access to the Games for the athletes and their families and officials.
“We will be able to have a wide-open Games.”
The countries affected by the latest travel ban are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The entry of people from seven other countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela – will be partially restricted.
Casey Wasserman, the chairman of LA28, the private, non-profit company organizing the Games, said he had “great confidence” that the positive working relationship with the administration would continue.
“It was very clear in the directive that the Olympics require special consideration, and I want to thank the federal government for recognizing that,” he told a press conference after hosting International Olympic Committee officials in Los Angeles.
Wasserman added that he did not anticipate the travel ban to have any impact on ticket sales, which will begin next year.
The U.S. along with Canada and Mexico will host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and Trump said during a task force meeting last month that he wanted people traveling to the U.S. to watch that competition to have a seamless experience during their visit.
“At the White House task force the president, the vice president, all of the administration officials said, ‘We welcome the world to come to FIFA,’” Hoover said.
“I think the administration is welcoming the world to come to LA.”
Hoover said LA28 continues to forge ties with the administration ahead of the mega-sporting event, now just over three years away.
“We have direct communication with the White House through the chief of staff, we have direct communication with the Department of State, and we are working with the State Department to have embedded teams to coordinate visa access,” he said.
-Reuters
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The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will feature an increase in women’s soccer teams from 12 to 16, while the men’s competition will be downsized from 16 to a dozen teams, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
The decision was part of several changes to the Olympic event programme, including more mixed events across various sports and all team sports featuring at least the same number of women’s and men’s teams.
The IOC said the reason for the sharp increase in women’s soccer teams was the rapidly growing popularity of women’s team sports, especially in the United States, and that change in the competition format reflected that rapid growth.
“We wanted to do something to reflect that growth and equally with the United States being the home of the highest level of popularity of women’s football,” IOC sports director Kit McConnell told a press conference.
He said the IOC had discussed the issue with both LA Games organisers and world soccer’s governing body FIFA before going through with the changes.
The total number of players — men’s and women’s — would not change.
The United States, who will also host the 2026 men’s and the 2031 women’s World Cup, have won five Olympic gold medals in the women’s competition.
The men’s teams use mostly under-23 players at Olympic Games.
The LA Games will have a total of 351 medal events in all sports, 22 more than at Paris 2024 Olympics.
Several sports, including archery, athletics, golf and gymnastics will be adding new mixed-team events, with the total number of athletes unchanged at 10,500.
The five sports proposed by the LA Games organising committee — baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash — will have an extra 698 quota places.
-Reuters
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