Italian Boxer Angela Carini Says She Has Suffered Online Abuse After Quitting Olympic Bout

Italian boxer Angela Carini said she has been the target of sustained online abuse after she abandoned her Olympic bout against Algeria’s Imane Khelif at the Paris Games, posting screenshots and a video on social media that documented messages she said called her a coward and urged her never to return to the ring.

Carini quit the women’s 66-kilogram preliminary-round fight after 46 seconds, a moment that drew international attention as images of Khelif’s punches circulated widely. Khelif went on to win the gold medal, and the match renewed scrutiny of gender eligibility rules in amateur boxing.

In the Instagram video published Thursday, Carini included screenshots of hostile messages she said she had received on social media, and a voiceover in which she described the effect of the abuse. "Have you ever wondered how hard it was for me to face these words? What I had to endure and endure day after day? What I had to face in my silence, while preserving my health from a stupid social network, from people who speak and say words without thinking twice?" she said.

Carini said the episode had "destroyed" a career she had built over years with "sacrifices, dedication, tenacity and a lot of passion." She also said she had retreated into private life with her family after Paris and had worked to rebuild herself.

She returned to competitive boxing in December, winning an eighth Italian title and taking gold at the World Boxing Cup in Poland, which she cited as evidence of her recovery and determination to continue her sport.

The fight in Paris and questions about Khelif's past eligibility tests have prompted debate at high levels of sport governance and political comment. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni were among public figures who commented in the wake of the bout. Khelif has publicly denied being transgender.

The International Olympic Committee defended the results of the Paris Games and said Khelif and another boxer who faced gender eligibility concerns were the victims of what it called a "sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA." The International Boxing Association, or IBA, has been at the center of the controversy: its president, Umar Kremlev, in July urged that Khelif’s Olympic gold medal be stripped and asserted, without publishing the evidence, that DNA test results showed Khelif had XY chromosomes.

In August, World Boxing, the sport’s international governing body, announced a policy introducing mandatory sex testing intended to ensure that only females compete in women’s categories. Khelif has appealed the policy; the new rule will bar athletes from competition while their genetic testing is pending.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry has convened a task force to examine gender eligibility issues. The dispute has led to competing legal, scientific and ethical claims that sport authorities say they will study as they seek clearer and enforceable rules.

Carini told viewers in her video that public mockery and online attacks had compounded the physical and psychological toll of the bout. "That past that marked my life. That past that left wounds inside me that I try to heal day after day, but like an infected wound, it bleeds and hurts," she said. "A word, a gesture, a command can hurt and destroy a person."

The matter remains subject to appeals and policy reviews by boxing’s governing bodies and the IOC. Carini’s social media post highlighted the personal consequences of the incident even as institutions work toward procedural and regulatory responses.