The boxing farce in Paris was a mess of Olympic chiefs' own making... Imane Khelif's victory - and the manner of it - was one of the darkest episodes in the history of the Games, writes MIKE KEEGAN

Forty-six seconds was agelong capable for Angela Carini. Long capable for 2 right-hands from Imane Khelif, nan boxer her friends and family had been telling her each week to debar because she ‘is a man’, to find their mark. Long capable for those punches to detach a chin strap, stone her backwards and time off her bluish shorts blood-spattered.

Long capable for her to show her coach that she was done, and for her to descend to her knees successful nan mediate of nan ringing successful evident protest, smash nan canvas successful despair and burst into floods of tears that continued aft she had spoken to reporters and made her way, disconsolately, to nan dressing room.

Hopefully, it will besides beryllium agelong capable for Olympics bosses to return a agelong superior look astatine a messiness that is of their ain making.

‘It wounded truthful much,’ a distraught Carini, clutching her nose, said afterwards. ‘After nan 2nd 1 I couldn't respire anymore. I went to my coach and said 'enough' because it takes maturity and courageousness to stop. I didn't consciousness for illustration fighting anymore…I person ne'er felt a punch for illustration this.’

Carini had won silvers astatine World and European events. She was nary mug. She kissed a mitt and made a speedy motion of nan transverse earlier nan doorbell rang but aft little than a infinitesimal she told her area ‘Non e gusto’ – ‘it’s not fair’ - and that is nan cardinal allegation astatine nan bosom of nan matter.

As Carini sank to her knees successful protestation Olympic broadcasters sharply trim to a changeable of nan Eiffel Tower. This whitethorn beryllium a landmark infinitesimal of its own. Khelif had different emotions. ‘I’m present for nan golden – I will conflict anybody,’ nan Algerian said. ‘I will conflict them all.’

Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Tin, who is besides competing successful Paris, were disqualified from past year’s women’s world championships, pinch International Amateur Boxing (IBA) president Umar Kremlev – who ran that title - saying that further DNA tests had ‘proved they had XY chromosomes’. In short, that they had been deemed ‘biologically male’.

But pursuing a conflict pinch nan IOC, nan IBA were stripped of their expertise to tally Olympic competitions and present they some are. IOC rules are deemed much relaxed. Indeed, comms main Mark Adams had antecedently warned reporters distant from starting a ‘witch hunt’ pinch nan seemingly basal mentation that some boxers had ‘female’ connected their passports and frankincense should beryllium allowed to conflict successful that category.

Such words whitethorn not find support among Carini’s devastated camp, contempt really gracious they were successful questionable defeat. ‘I americium not 1 to judge,’ nan Neapolitan girl of a constabulary serviceman said. ‘I sewage into nan ringing and did my work arsenic a boxer and tried to conflict irrespective of immoderate contention aliases thing else. I wanted to win.’

After saying he did not cognize if her chemoreceptor had been broken, her coach added: ‘I person to speak pinch nan girl. But galore group successful Italy tried to telephone and show her: “Don’t spell please: it’s a man, it’s vulnerable for you”.’

On nan eve of nan farce nan IBA released a connection clarifying why Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Tin had been disqualified from nan tournament, which was held successful New Delhi.

It cited a ‘meticulous’ reappraisal which ‘was highly important and basal to uphold nan level of fairness and utmost integrity of nan competition’.

The missive added that nary testosterone examinations were held, alternatively ‘a abstracted and recognized test, whereby nan specifics stay confidential’. That introspection ‘conclusively indicated that some athletes did not meet nan required basal eligibility criteria and were recovered to person competitory advantages complete different female competitors’.

The IBA said nan prohibition was besides based connected tests conducted astatine nan World Boxing Championships successful 2022 and said – importantly – that Khelif withdrew an entreaty to nan Court of Arbitration for Sport, rendering nan determination legally binding.

In a excavation astatine nan IOC, they ‘expressed interest complete nan inconsistent exertion of eligibility criteria by different sporting organisations, including those overseeing nan Olympic Games’. ‘’The IOC’s differing regulations connected these matters raise superior questions astir some competitory fairness and athletes’ safety,’ they added. There was small present to propose those words were not accurate.

Others gave their ain views earlier nan fight. Australia’s boxing skipper Caitlin Parker voiced fears that 1 of her team-mates is fighting successful nan aforesaid 66kg weight class arsenic Khelif. ‘I don’t work together pinch them being allowed to compete successful sport, particularly combat sports,’ Parker said. ‘It tin beryllium incredibly dangerous.’

The Italian sports curate Andrea Abodi besides weighed in. ‘In nan arena that represents nan highest values of sport, nan information of female and antheral athletes must beryllium guaranteed, arsenic good arsenic respect for adjacent competition. That is not really it will beryllium for Angela Carini.’

He was not wrong.

Khelif walked done nan mixed area without answering questions from nan press. There should besides beryllium a level of sympathy, here. There are others who request to supply explanations, and perchance return actions, to extremity 1 of nan darkest episodes successful Olympic history.