Indian sprinter Dutee Chand has come out in defence of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif amid her controversial bout against Italian pugilist Angela Carini in the pre-quarters of the women's 60kg category at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday, August 1.
Imane Khelif attracted the attention of the sporting world for wrong reasons following her controversial victory over Angela Carini, which allowed her to advance to the quarterfinals.
However, the match ended abruptly when Carini was heavily punched by Khelif and chose to abandon the bout after just 46 seconds. The Italian boxer was left in tears, while Khelif celebrated her victory after her opponent forfeited.
Imane Khelif, who was banned from participating from the World Boxing Championships last year after failing the gender, is termed 'biological male'. The match sparked controversy after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to allow 'biological males' to participate in women's sports.
Many have accused the IOC of permitting Khelif to compete in women's boxing despite high levels of testosterone.
Dutee Chand supports Imane Khelif
Amid the controversy, Indian Olympian spinner Dutee Chand has come out in support of Imane Khelif, stating that it was unnecessary to create controversy.
Chand also spoke about challenging the IOC's rule of banning high testosterone levels' athletes from participating in any competitions in the world.
"In 2014, I challenged the IOC's rule that a person with a higher testosterone level should not participate in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. It was noted that hormonal level cannot increase athletic performance. I suffered a lot at that time. I faced a lot of controversy regarding my gender." Dutee Chand told PTI
"Yesterday, during the Olympic match, (Angela) Carini gave up and now she is complaining about the Algerian boxer because of high testosterone levels. When you play in the Olympics, you undergo several tests. I don't think it is right to create controversy about this social media." she added.
Dutee Chand was subjected to similar scrutiny and controversy earlier in her career reportedly due to high levels of testosterone. In 2014, Gopalpur-born sprinter was banned from competing against woman in any competitions due to high levels of testosterone.
After being barred from competing against women, Chand decided to challenge IOC rule, which turned out to be successfully. The new rule stated that biological differences in any gender don't necessarily grant an unfair advantage. This allowed Dutee Chand to compete in women's events.
