Men beating women for medals is ‘madness’: Serbian president

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said men beating women for medals is “madness” after a controversial Olympic boxing match between a female and a transgender athlete.

"Imagine this disease and madness that began to rule the world, when men come, beat women, and get medals. Madness began to rule the world, and everyone went crazy," Vucic told reporters on Thursday.

Female Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew from her match in Paris after suffering powerful blows from her Algerian opponent, Imane Khelif, who previously failed a gender eligibility test.

The bout ended dramatically 46 seconds after it started.

Khelif, whose participation at the Games was sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) despite past controversies, delivered multiple blows before landing a powerful right to Carini's nose.

The Italian boxer, visibly shaken, raised her hand and returned to her corner, prompting her manager to signal her withdrawal from the welterweight round of 16 bout.

A distraught Carini fell to her knees in the ring, sobbing and declining to shake Khelif's hand after the referee declared the Algerian the winner.

"I am a fighter. My father taught me to be a warrior. When I am in the ring, I use that mindset, the mindset of a warrior, a winning mindset," Carini told reporters after abandoning the bout. "This time I couldn’t make it. I didn’t lose tonight, I just surrendered with maturity."

The fight sparked strong reactions worldwide, with the Serbian president denouncing the match in which a "biological male" was allowed to compete against a woman.

Serbian sport association, Usce, expressed support for Carini.

"Dear Angela, we are deeply moved by your move in the 2024 OI. In the spirit of sport and true values, we want to acknowledge that you are a champion for us! One could sense from the opening ceremony the direction the OI are going. We believe that your move won hearts, a huge part of the planet, but unfortunately, there are few who dare to admit it," said a statement from the association.

Usce said Carinş scored a knockdown against a freak sport value system and the association would symbolically send her a gold medal.

"Congratulations, you have given a knockdown to the freakish sports value system. As a small sports society, we cannot correct the injustice done to you, but we can support you in this difficult moment for you and for the sport. Symbolically, we send you a gold medal so that you know that you are a true champion for us," it said.