EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., is seeking to raise the equivalent of a gold medal for an Olympic athlete who was defeated by an opponent who previously failed gender eligibility tests.
Italian boxer Angela Carini competed in the 66-kilogram women’s division Olympic boxing match Thursday, but abandoned the fight just 45 seconds in after getting hit by her opponent, who was deemed to have male chromosomes.
Carini left the match against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif in tears, saying later: "I didn't give up, but one punch hurt too much, and so I said enough."
"Enough is enough," Boebert told Fox News Digital as she launches her Give Send Go effort to raise $196,000 for Carini – what Italy pays their Olympic athletes for a gold medal.
Imane Khelif, left, fights Angela Carini at the Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris. (John Locher/AP Photo)
"It's really unfortunate when women who have competed since they were little girls, trained since they were little girls, are forced to compete against a mediocre male athlete," Boebert said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. "I believe that Angela deserves better. She worked her entire life to reach the very top of her sport, and my heart goes out to her today. It was really devastating."
Boebert pointed to International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev, who admitted that Khelif was disqualified during the 2023 World Championships after failing to meet gender eligibility standards.
"Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition," Kremlev said.
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Rep. Lauren Boebert leaves the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 15, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Boebert added that in allowing Khelif to compete, the Olympics "gave the green light that it's OK for men to compete, even a physical competition, to the point where they're hitting women. And this is not OK."
