Riley Gaines has blasted Kamala Harris for staying silent over the Olympic boxing gender row, claiming the current Vice President represents a ‘vote against your daughter’s future’.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is at the center of fierce controversy this summer after being cleared to compete in the women’s category at the Paris Olympics despite question marks over her gender.
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Her participation in Paris has therefore sparked outrage, with Gaines and a number of high-profile figures fuming over the decision to allow her to compete.
Ahead of her expected Democratic nomination for President, Harris is yet to weigh in on the gender controversy surrounding Khelif at this summer’s Olympics.
And Gaines believes this radio silence from the potential next President of America is a worrying sign.
‘Crickets from Kamala, crickets from the women at “The View.” And if I could implore you, a vote for Kamala is a vote against your daughter’s future,’ the former American swimmer, who previously competed against transgender athlete Lia Thomas, said on Fox News’ ‘Jesse Waters Primetime’ show.
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To fuel even further outrage, Khelif completely dominated Italy’s Angela Carini in her short-lived Olympics opener on Thursday; forcing her female opponent to abandon the bout after just 46 seconds.
Carini was punched twice in the opening round of their women’s welterweight bout in Paris, with the blows even appearing to knock off her chin strap before she returned to the center of the ring and forfeited the bout.
The Italian boxer, who claimed before the fight that she could ‘only adapt to the rules of the Olympics‘, was then seen crying in the ring as her defeat was confirmed.
On Thursday, Gaines shared a clip of Khelif battering Carini into submission on X and wrote alongside it: ‘Call me crazy, but It’s almost as if women don’t want to be punched in the face by a male as the world watches and applauds.
‘This is glorified male violence against women.’
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Olympic bosses dramatically doubled down on their decision to allow both boxers to compete in Paris on Thursday.
‘They (Khelif and Yu-ting) were suddenly disqualified without any due process,’ the 557-word statement read before adding that, in line with previous Olympics, ‘the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport’.
‘Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination,’ the IOC said, before highlighting that its rules were based on the rules the IBA had in place before its forced withdrawal in 2023.
It also attacked ‘misleading information about two female athletes’, adding that the pair ‘have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category.’
* Original Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-13702303/amp/riley-gaines-kamala-harris-imane-khelif-olympics-boxing.html?ito=smartnews
