Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with boxer Angela Carini in Paris on Thursday, offering words of encouragement after Carini abandoned her Olympic bout against Algerian opponent Imane Khelif. The match had sparked a heated debate on gender eligibility rules in women’s sports.
Meloni shared a photo on X of herself consoling Carini and wrote in Italian, “I know that you won’t give up, Angela, and I know that one day you will get what you deserve through strength and sweat. In a competition that is finally equal.” Carini described Meloni’s greeting as that of a mother meeting a daughter, urging her not to give up on her dreams. This meeting followed Meloni’s public support for Carini, asserting that the bout against Khelif was not a fair competition. “I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions,” Meloni had remarked.
