"I was wrong yesterday" - NASCAR's Rick Mast apologizes for Olympics women's boxing controversy remarks surrounding Imane Khelif
Veteran NASCAR driver Rick Mast has apologized for a mistake he made while discussing a women's match at the ongoing Paris Olympics. He had previously made a statement about the match between Imane Khelif and Angela Carini.
Following the Olympics women's boxing match between Khelif and Carini, which saw Carini abruptly retire after approximately 40 seconds, a significant controversy erupted. The focal point of the debate centered around Khelif's gender, with numerous sources questioning her biological sex and labeling her as "biologically male.
Mast, in a post on X, criticized the match, misgendering Khelif as male. Recognizing the error, the former NASCAR driver posted an apology video. In it, he claimed that Khelif was born a female with XY chromosomes, which led to the internet debate. He apologized for making the mistake, saying (from 0:05):
"I did a video yesterday about Imane Khelif and the, the boxing deal, right? And I've got to tell you something. When Rick Masters is wrong, Rick Masters admits he's wrong."
"I was wrong yesterday. I shouldn't have put that out. It turns out this lady, she was, and I've done a lot of research, man, and you guys have pointed it out to me, you know, for 24 hours. I've tried to research it."
He further apologized to Khelif for making the mistake.
"But basically this, this, this person was born as a female, but with a XY chromosome, which is a male chromosome, and in further looking, further looking at that stuff, any, anybody that has to go through that, I have a lot of empathy for that. That's got to be a very, very, very tough deal to, to go, go through life with, okay? So my apologies to that lady," he stated.
Veteran NASCAR driver reveals he is not watching the 2024 Paris Olympics
The 2024 Paris Olympics has faced repeated criticism since its opening ceremony. Social media erupted in backlash after a performance strikingly resembled Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper."
Amidst ongoing criticism, former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace voiced his opinion on the Olympics. He revealed that he is one of those people who is not watching the Olympics, but admitted that the athletes deserved to be seen.
"Many people are boycotting the Olympics but that's the price they pay over there when they, uh, when they insult 1.6 billion people," Wallace said. (at 6:13).
"I'm not watching the Olympics and I feel bad for those great athletes because, you know, those athletes have worked their whole life. They deserve to be seen," he added.