"Why are we even questioning this?" - Chris Evert endorses 'no males in women's boxing' sign at Paris Olympics amid Angela Carini-Imane Khelif dispute
Chris Evert has stated that biological males should not be allowed to compete in women's boxing. The tennis legend's comment comes in the wake of Italian Angela Carini abandoning her 66 kg preliminary round match against Algeria's Imane Khelif at the 2024 Paris Olympics after just 46 seconds on Thursday, August 1.
Carini's swift abandonment came after Khelif landed two heavy punches on her, which she later claimed were the hardest she had been ever hit. The Italian turned tearful soon after and expressed her feeling that it was an unfair fight.
Carini cited severe nose pain as the reason for her withdrawal, and it is suspected that Khelif's punches have resulted in a broken nose for the Italian.
Khelif failed a gender eligibility test for the 2023 International Boxing Association (IBA) World Boxing Championship final. However, she was given the green light by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to participate at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Algerian has faced severe backlash, with many wrongly claiming that she is a biological male and a transgender woman. Amid the raging controversy, former WTA World No. 1 Chris Evert took to X (formerly Twitter) to repost the image of a sign at the 2024 Paris Olympics that read:
"No Males in Women's Boxing"
Evert's repost also featured a caption of her own.
"Why are we even questioning this?" Evert asked.
Chris Evert's yesteryear rival and close friend Martina Navratilova urges the IOC to amend the rules after the Carini-Khelif controversy
Chris Evert, along with Martina Navratilova, dominated women's tennis across the 1970s and 1980s. However, despite their rivalry during those days, they have grown close and are now the closest of friends.
Following the controversial Carini-Khelif bout at this year's Games, Navratilova also shared her thoughts on Khelif's participation on X. The Czech-American reposted author J. K. Rowling's update, with the repost featuring Navratilova's own take.
"This isn’t sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over women," read a part of Rowling's thread of posts.
"Exactly right. This is all on IOC and those in power who make the rules. It’s a travesty and makes a mockery of all Olympic sports," Navratilova wrote, in a agreement with Rowling's view.
Boris Becker, a former ATP World No. 1, and Judy Murray, the legendary Andy Murray's mother, also agreed with Rowling.