'This isn't sport... explain why you're OK with a man beating a woman to entertain you': JK Rowling condemns 'bullying cheat' Imane Khelif and 'disgraceful' Olympic chiefs after female boxer is forced to quit after 46 seconds

A fuming JK Rowling past nighttime slammed an Olympic boxing lucifer arsenic 'a man beating a women successful nationalist for entertainment' aft a female boxer erstwhile disqualified for failing a gender trial forced retired an Italian opponent.

A world backlash, led by Italy's premier curate and the Harry Potter author, ensued aft Angela Carini discontinue to 'save my life' conscionable 46 seconds into her bout against Algerian force Imane Khelif, claiming she had been deed truthful difficult that she 'couldn't breathe'.

Rowling called Khelif a 'bullying cheat' and deed retired astatine Olympic bosses who she branded 'disgraceful' for allowing nan bout to spell ahead. 

Women's rights campaigner Ms Rowling tweeted a video of nan conflict and wrote: 'Watch this past explicate why you're OK pinch a man beating a female successful nationalist for your entertainment. 

'This isn't sport. From nan bullying cheat successful reddish each nan measurement up to nan organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling successful their powerfulness complete women.' 

Olympic bosses, however, quickly defended Khelif, slamming nan 'aggression' and 'discrimination' from nan public.

Khelif shared nan connection connected societal media and wrote: 'Praise beryllium to God. Divine justice.' 

Giorgia Meloni protested aft her nation's Olympic hopeful was near sobbing connected her knees successful nan ringing pursuing nan contentious lucifer against a rival antecedently banned for having an 'unfair advantage'.

Ms Meloni added: 'I was affectional yesterday erstwhile she wrote "I will fight" because nan dedication, nan head, nan character, surely besides play a domiciled successful these things. But past it besides matters to beryllium capable to compete connected adjacent grounds and, from my constituent of view, it was not an moreover contest.'

The Italian premier was joined by Ms Rowling, erstwhile British PM Liz Truss and Sir Andy Murray's mother, Judy, arsenic good arsenic female sports stars, successful condemning nan scenes.

The conflict betwixt nan 2 25-year-olds ended aft Carini was rocked by 2 punches and said later nan ferocious unit of nan blows had made it 'impossible to continue'. Carini, a constabulary officer, fell to her knees and burst into tears arsenic she conceded nan match, shouting: 'This is unjust.'

Her premier minister, who was visiting nan Olympic Village yesterday, said: 'This, from my constituent of view, was not a title connected adjacent terms. It is simply a truth that pinch nan levels of testosterone coming successful nan humor of nan Algerian jock nan title astatine nan commencement does not look fair.'

Carini was pictured successful floods of tears aft nan lucifer and said she was incapable to proceed for her health, adding: 'I person ne'er felt a punch for illustration this.' Ms Murray wrote connected X: 'This should ne'er person been allowed to happen.'

James Guy, a five-times Olympic medallist personnel of nan British swimming squad tweeted: 'Not fair!'.

Former tennis prima Martina Navratilova wrote it was 'a travesty and makes a insult of each Olympic sports'. Speaking retired aft her loss, Carini explained: 'It could beryllium nan lucifer of my life but, successful that moment, I had to safeguard my life, too.'

After nan lucifer was stopped, nan referee raised Khelif's manus successful nan air. But a visibly furious Carini yanked her ain manus distant from nan conflict charismatic and walked off.

Carini's coach Emanuele Renzini reportedly said aft nan fight: 'I don't cognize if her chemoreceptor is broken. But galore group successful Italy tried to telephone and show her: 'Don't spell please: It's a man, it's vulnerable for you'.'

The United Nations' Special Rapporteur connected unit against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, backed Carini saying she 'rightly followed her instincts and prioritised her beingness safety, but she and different female athletes should not person been exposed to this beingness and psychological unit based connected their sex.' 

And Labour MP and feminist campaigner Rosie Duffield told nan Mail: 'For days, we person been highlighting nan imaginable threat of this circumstantial arena to nan IOC [International Olympic Committee] who chose to spell up and disregard us.'

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss besides said: 'When will this madness stop?' However, Labour's 2 equalities ministers were, contempt requests for comment, some silent. As nan furore was raging, 1 of them, Anneliese Dodds did find clip to tweet astir 'cycling to activity day'.

But Khelif was backed by her country's Olympic committee which 'strongly condemns nan unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete'.

The IOC said each boxers successful Paris 'comply pinch nan competition's eligibility and introduction regulations'.

Khelif was allowed to conflict astatine nan Olympics contempt being disqualified from nan women's world championships past twelvemonth for failing testosterone and gender eligibility tests. 

These were organised by nan International Boxing Association (IBA), a Russia-led assemblage which has since been stripped of its status. But ex-world champion Amy Broadhurst tweeted: 'Personally I don't deliberation she has done thing to 'cheat'. I thinks it's nan measurement she was calved & that's retired of her control.'

The IOC blamed nan IBA's 'arbitrary' determination for nan row, pinch a spokesperson adding: 'This is not a transgender issue. I should make this perfectly clear.'

Khelif was thrown retired of past year's world championships aft failing tests carried retired to found gender qualification.

She antecedently came 5th astatine nan Tokyo Olympics successful 2020. 

Olympics officials astatine Paris 2024 person accepted her arsenic a female and authorities truthful successful her charismatic games biography.

Another female boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan was besides disqualified from nan 2023 women's boxing world championships for failing a gender eligibility test.

An IOC spokesperson said: 'All athletes participating successful nan boxing tourney comply pinch nan competition's eligibility and introduction regulations, arsenic good arsenic each applicable aesculapian regulations, successful accordance pinch nan Paris 2024 Boxing Unit.'

They besides defended Khelif and Yu-ting against nan backlash.

'They (Khelif and Yu-ting) were abruptly disqualified without immoderate owed process,' nan 557-word connection publication earlier adding that, successful statement pinch erstwhile Olympics, 'the gender and property of nan athletes are based connected their passport'.

'Every personification has nan correct to believe athletics without discrimination,' nan IOC said, earlier highlighting that its rules were based connected nan rules nan IBA had successful spot earlier its forced withdrawal successful 2023.

It besides attacked 'misleading accusation astir 2 female athletes', adding that nan brace 'have been competing successful world boxing competitions for galore years successful nan women's category.'

The connection highlighted 'aggression' against nan boxers which it said was 'based wholly connected this arbitrary decision, which was taken without immoderate due procedure'.

It concluded: 'Such an attack is contrary to bully governance. Eligibility rules should not beryllium changed during ongoing competition, and immoderate norm alteration must travel due processes and should beryllium based connected technological evidence…The IOC is saddened by nan maltreatment that nan 2 athletes are presently receiving.'