Australian fighter Harry Garside has revealed his female teammates are ‘quite scared’ after Algerian fighter Iman Khelif’s ‘dangerous’ and highly controversial 46-second win over Italian Angela Carini at the Paris Olympics.
His remarks come as Aussie boxer Marissa Williamson Pohlman lashed out at the International Olympic Committee over the scandal.
The women’s 66kg division has attracted global attention after the IOC confirmed that two boxers who were disqualified from last year’s world championships for failing gender eligibility tests were allowed to fight in Paris.
Khelif (66kg) and Taiwan‘s Lin Yu-ting (57kg) were removed from the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) World Championships due to integrity concerns.
The IBA reported that chromosome tests showed both athletes had XY chromosomes, which are typically male, with females having XX chromosomes.
Carini quit her bout against Khelif, fearing for her safety after suffering a suspected broken nose, sinking to her knees and telling her corner ‘it’s not fair’.
‘I have never been hit so hard in my life. It’s up to the IOC to judge,’ Carini said after the fight.
Khelif, an accomplished amateur with a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, is not transgender and reportedly does not identify as intersex – a term applied to people who have characteristics that don’t fit the usual notions of what it means to be male or female.
The IOC defended its decision, stating the athletes have been competing in women’s categories for years and were victims of an arbitrary IBA decision when they were banned.
Algerian fighter Iman Khelif was banned by the International Boxing Association, which claimed she recorded a test result that showed she has XY chromosomes
Khelif (left) made light work of Italian Angela Carini, beating her in 46 seconds in their round of 16 bout at the Paris Olympics (pictured)
Carini was left in tears with a suspected broken nose after the bout, and later said she had never been hit that hard before
Now Garside has appealed to the IOC to listen to the women fighters in Paris to ensure there is a safe and fair competition for all boxers as he revealed fear is gripping the women in the team.
‘It’s a really, really hard conversation, I find it really hard to comment on a topic like this,’ he told KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O show on Friday.
‘All I can do is ask the females on my team what their thoughts are and trust them because I respect and I love my teammates to bits.
‘I want them to be safe and have a fair playing field. A lot of the girls are quite scared, a lot of them think that it’s not fair.
‘As a male it is quite hard for me to comment on it, but I need to respect and honour my teammates’ opinions.
‘If they think it is unfair, then I think we need to listen to the females in the division and what they’re really thinking.’
Aussie star Harry Garside (pictured) wants the IOC to listen to women boxers as controversy rages over the inclusion of the two fighters
Garside also sympathised with Khelif, but stressed there needed to be an even playing field for all fighters.
‘It’s tough, because if that’s how the Algerian boxer has been born, then you’ve got to put yourselves in their shoes too,’ he said.
‘As I said, I’ve just got to listen to my female athletes and what their opinion is.
‘Because I care about them, I want them to be safe and I want them to have the best opportunities on a fair playing field.’
His teammate Marissa Williamson-Pohlman – who fights in Khelif’s division – said the Algerian’s DNA tests should be made public and a decision should be based on the safety of all women boxers.
‘Obviously, at the moment it’s just speculation. Allegedly there has been DNA tests done that Imane is XY,’ Williamson-Pohlman said from Paris.
‘So if that’s the case then, [firstly], come forward with that and own up to it and, [secondly], the IOC should be stepping in because trying to make it fair for one person is making it unjust for so many more.’
Aussie fighter Marissa Williamson-Pohlman (pictured) wants to see DNA records made public so decisions could be made around the safety of women boxers
It comes as Australian boxing captain Caitlin Parker said she believes the Olympics’ approval of two boxers who had failed gender eligibility tests was ‘incredibly dangerous’.
‘I don’t agree with them being allowed to compete in sport, especially combat sports. It can be incredibly dangerous,’ Parker said.
‘It’s not like I haven’t sparred men before. But you know it can be dangerous for combat sports and it should be seriously looked into.
‘Yes, biologically … genetically they are going to have more advantages.
‘I really hope the organisations get their act together so that boxing can continue to be at the Olympics.
‘It’s the oldest Olympic sport. Women’s boxing was only introduced in 2012 and I want to see it for the next 100, 200 years to come.’