In 1987, women’s boxing pioneer Marian Trimiar went on a hunger strike to campaign for improved working conditions for female boxers, television coverage and equal pay. Born in the Bronx of New York, Trimiar was a fearless advocate for women’s sport and one of the first women granted a licence to compete in her home state when she, and fellow boxers, launched lawsuits after being denied the chance to box on the grounds of their gender.
Known affectionately as Lady Tyger, the inspirational Trimiar eventually hung up her gloves in 1985. She was inducted posthumously into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Marian ‘Tyger’ Trimiar in the ring in 1974.Credit: UPI
Almost four decades later, and 12 years after the women’s boxing category was introduced at the 2012 London Olympics, it took just 46 seconds for Trimiar’s legacy, and the rights of female boxers, to be cast back to the dark ages. When Italian pugilist Angela Carini made the heartbreaking decision in Paris to abandon her bout against controversial opponent Imane Khelif, the world waited for someone with the courage to ask what many people were thinking – was this a man competing in women’s sport?
After copping two heavy blows from the Algerian, it was the damage to Carini’s nose that forced her to withdraw. The Italian’s coach, Emanuel Rezini, had hoped Carini would at least make it to the end of the first round to assess the injury, but the pain was too intense. She confessed afterwards that she couldn’t breathe and “feared” for her life.
“Non è giusto [it’s not right],” Carini could be heard repeating to her team.
Non è giusto, indeed.
As she dropped to the canvas and broke down in tears, I felt like weeping along with her and her realisation that years of hard work, sacrifice and the wish to honour her late father had come to an end in potentially unjust fashion.
Carini drops to the floor in disappointment as Khelif stands over her.Credit: AP
Facing public pressure to withdraw ahead of the fight, the self-confessed “warrior” refused to listen because she loved her sport. A two-time silver medallist, Carini is used to sparring with men in training, but she refused to shake hands with Khelif and later conceded she had “never felt a punch like this”.
So why is the International Olympic Committee continuing with this charade? For an organisation whose credibility has steadily eroded since it began instructing journalists to avoid using “problematic language” like “biological male”, it beggars belief that it would jeopardise the safety of competitors all in the name of “inclusion”.
Ahead of the fight, IOC spokesman Mark Adams went as far as suggesting everyone should just “dial it down” and he called concerns over the situation a “witch-hunt”; as though expressing concerns over the safety of female competitors is something trivial.
What a pack of cowards.
The International Boxing Association reaffirmed its decision to disqualify both Khelif and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting from competitions after they failed two tests at the World Boxing Championships in 2022 and 2023. “… the athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential. This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors,” said the IBA in a statement.
At the time, IBA president Umar Kremlev said DNA tests had “proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded”.
However, the IOC has remained firm in its view that the athletes “met the eligibility criteria” and the reaction to Khelif’s participation has been “aggressive”. When Khelif spoke briefly to the BBC after the bout, the Algerian said: “I am here for gold. I will fight anybody, I will fight them all.”
The lack of policy consensus casts a shadow not just over boxing. Similarities can be drawn between the Zambian women’s football team, with certain members of the squad dogged by speculation over their biological sex for years. In 2022, the Zambian women’s national team forward Barbra Banda and fellow players were denied the opportunity to represent their nation at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after “failing gender eligibility tests”.
Speaking to BBC Sport at the time, Andrew Kamanga, president of the Football Association of Zambia, said: “All the players had to undergo gender verification, a CAF (Confederation of African Football) requirement, and unfortunately Banda did not meet the criteria set by CAF.”
The following year, the players previously banned by the CAF were cleared to play at the Women’s World Cup because FIFA permitted teams “to undergo their own internal gender assessments”.
When I dared to question the issue concerning Banda and others, I was called a racist and a bigot. But, as a lover of sport and a level playing field, I am entitled to ask questions where suspicion arises, particularly when it concerns the safety, fairness and integrity of sport, regardless of how uncomfortable the topic may be.
For years, women have been crying out to be heard by politicians, coaches and sporting administrators over the need to preserve single-sex-category sport. And for years they have been demonised, ignored, silenced and dragged before the courts. And for years people have been wilfully ignorant in their steadfast denial of basic biology, all in favour of being “progressive” and “kind”.
But now the gloves are off. There is nothing “kind” about a woman being told to “dial it down” when it comes to her safety. There is also nothing “progressive” about condemning violence against women in one setting and turning a blind eye to it in another.
Since I made the decision to speak publicly about this issue, I have been called a transphobe and fascist, and told to go to hell, among other things. I have lost friends and professional opportunities because I believe in the preservation of single-sex categories. But I will punch on.
Carini’s dreams of an Olympic medal were sacrificed at the altar of inclusivity. Her valiant decision will not have been in vain. I stand with you Angela, today, tomorrow and always …
Lucy Zelic is a television sports presenter and journalist.
