From Jake Paul to J. K. Rowling: Reactions from top personalities to controversial Angela Carini vs Imane Khelif bout at Paris Olympics 2024

By Marie Amani

Modified Aug 01, 2024 16:16 GMT

The Paris Olympics entered the seventh day shrouded in controversy following the boxing match between Imane Khelif of Algeria and Angela Carini of Italy. Carini quit the game after 46 seconds and Khelif was awarded the win but there’s more to that.

Competing at the Paris Olympics, Khelif and Carini had barely started the fight before it was abandoned after the latter dropped out, something that surprised many. Khelif was off to a great start with two strong punches that did not miss the Italian boxer.

As reported by NBC New York, Khelif was not eligible to compete as a woman at the 2023 world championships after ‘failing an unspecified gender eligibility test’.

Her presence at the Paris Olympics has caused an uproar from top personalities who questioned why she was entered in the women’s category at the event. Elon Musk, J. K. Rowling, and Piers Morgan are some of the top personalities who reacted to the controversial bout at the Paris Olympics.

#5. Elon Musk

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, reacting to a post shared by Riley Gaines, concurred with what the former Kentucky swimming ace had to say concerning the issue at the Paris Olympics.

Gaines, a champion for women’s rights in sports, was far from pleased, noting that a man should not be included in women’s sports including at the Paris Olympics.

She said:

"Men don't belong in women's sports #IStandWithAngelaCarini. Let's get it trending 🔥."

Musk, responding to her tweet, said:

"Absolutely."

#4. Piers Morgan

Top media personality Piers Morgan was critical of the Paris Olympics organizers for allowing such a situation. He went down memory lane to a time when he asked the US sports minister Lisa Nandy about her reaction if Floyd Mayweather had entered the Paris Olympics as a woman.

"So disgusting. I once asked our new Sports minister @lisanandy if she would be happy for Floyd Mayweather to identify as a woman and compete in the Olympics against women, and she refused to say it would be wrong/unfair. Be interested to hear her response to this…," he tweeted.

#3. J.K Rowling

British author and philanthropist J.K. Rowling expressed her frustration, slamming the Paris Olympics organizers for allowing ‘bullying’ to occur on such a huge stage.

"Watch this (whole thread), then explain why you’re OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment. This isn’t sport," Rowling said.

"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," she added.

#2. Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova, the Czech-American former professional tennis great, openly disagreed with the Paris Olympics organizers who allowed the bout between Khelif and Carini, insisting that things would not end well for them.

"Deplorable. This will not end well for the people in power who allowed this to happen," she replied to a tweet shared on X.

The tweet read:

"Shame on @Olympics. This image will not be forgotten. #IStandWithAngelaCarini."

#1. Jake Paul

American professional boxer and YouTuber Jake Paul severely criticized the participation of gender-failed athletes in the boxing competitions at the Paris Olympics 2024. Reacting to the controversial Angela Carini vs Imane Khelif bout, he wrote:

"This is sickening. This is a travesty. Doesn’t matter what you believe. This is wrong and dangerous."