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Tag: Olympics 2024

  • Olympics 2024: Imane Khelif reaches finals amid gender controversy

    Olympics 2024: Imane Khelif reaches finals amid gender controversy

    Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is set to compete for an Olympic gold medal on Friday after overcoming controversy regarding her eligibility.

    Khelif secured a decisive victory in her semi-final against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in Paris.

    Despite being disqualified from last year’s World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) due to gender eligibility issues, Khelif received strong support at the Court Philippe Chatrier, where the French Open tennis venue was transformed for the boxing finals.

    dominant performance earned her a unanimous decision from the judges.

    This victory marks Khelif’s first advancement to an Olympic final, after being eliminated in the quarter-finals during the Tokyo Games three years ago.

    She will face China’s Liu Yang in the final, aiming to become Algeria’s first-ever boxing gold medallist.

    “I am focused,” the 25-year-old said.

    Imane Khelif in action Photo Courtesy: AP


    “I am here for a good performance and my dream. I will give everything I have for the final.”

    Imane Khelif Photo Courtesy: AP


    After the result was confirmed she dropped her guard and danced on the canvas, and a bout fought in good spirits ended with an embrace between the two fighters.

    “I had heard about the news regarding her, but I wasn’t following it closely,” Suwannapheng said.

    Imane Khelif Photo Courtesy: AP


    “She is a woman, but she is very strong. I tried to use my speed, but my opponent was just too strong.”

    Khelif added: “I am very happy. I am happy for all the support here in Paris.

    “I want to thank all of the people of Algeria who came here.”

  • Israeli’s Akwasi Afrifah; a survivor of deportation now an Olympian

    Israeli’s Akwasi Afrifah; a survivor of deportation now an Olympian

    Israeli-born Ghanaian sprinter Blessing Akwasi Afrifah is making headlines at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he competes for Israel on the global stage.

    Afrifah’s path to the Olympics has been anything but typical.

    He was born and raised in Tel Aviv to Ghanaian Akan parents who had immigrated to Israel a decade before his birth. His father was employed at the Ghanaian embassy, while his mother worked as a cleaner.

    Despite his upbringing in Israel, Afrifah encountered significant obstacles in obtaining Israeli citizenship.

    In a 2022 interview with Haaretz, he expressed his frustration over being regarded as a foreigner in the country he calls home.

    “People here in Israel made me ‘not an Israeli’ because my parents came from somewhere else. The minute you have citizenship, then you are considered Israeli, but if you don’t have it, you are not part of the ‘Israeliness’,” he said.

    After a prolonged struggle that included surviving a deportation attempt in 2010 and multiple appeals to the government, Afrifah finally obtained Israeli citizenship in 2020.

    He went on to serve in the Israel Defense Forces in 2022.

    The 20-year-old sprinter has rapidly climbed the athletic ranks, becoming the first Israeli to clinch a gold medal at the U-23 European Championship in 2023. He also holds the Israeli national record for the 200m, clocking in at 20.95 seconds.

    Afrifah’s sister, Mercy, is also an emerging talent in sprinting, competing in both the 100m and 200m events.

  • Italy’s Tamberi hospitalized ahead of high jump title defense

    Italy’s Tamberi hospitalized ahead of high jump title defense

    Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi has been hospitalized just days before he is set to defend his high jump title, which he famously shared in Tokyo.

    The Italian athlete revealed that he is suspected of having a kidney issue, just three days before the qualifying round is set to start at the Paris Games.

    Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim created one of the most iconic moments in Tokyo three years ago when they chose to share the gold medal after tying with identical clearances and receiving permission from event officials.

    On Sunday, however, Tamberi posted a picture of himself, external in a hospital bed and said: “Unbelievable… this can’t be true. Yesterday… I felt a stabbing pain in my side.

    “Emergency room, CT scan, ultrasound, blood test. Probable kidney stone.

    “And now I find myself, three days before the event for which I sacrificed everything, lying in a bed, helpless, with a fever of 38.8.”

    The 32-year-old said he had been advised to postpone his travel to Paris until Monday.

    “Only one thing is certain, I don’t know how I will get there, but I will be there on that platform and I will give my soul until the last jump, whatever my condition will be,” he added.

    The qualifying competition takes place on Wednesday morning, with the final on Sunday.

  • “I couldn’t fight anymore” – Tearful female boxer Carini who quit a match against ‘transgender’ boxer

    “I couldn’t fight anymore” – Tearful female boxer Carini who quit a match against ‘transgender’ boxer

    Italian female boxer Angela Carini shared a heartbreaking story of her journey to the Olympics moments after ending her match against the alleged transgender boxer Imani Khelif during their boxing match.

    Carini explained that she went to the Olympics to honor her father, who had always encouraged her to never give up.

    Unfortunately, circumstances beyond her control forced her to quit for her safety.

    “My father taught me to be a warrior. I have always stepped into the ring with honor and served my country with loyalty. This time, I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t fight anymore, so I ended the match,” she told the media while weeping profusely.

    Background:

    Italian boxer Angela Carini abandoned her bout against Algerian transgender boxer Imane Khelif at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

    Carini withdrew from the fight just 46 seconds in after receiving the first punch. Khelif landed two heavy blows in the opening round, appearing to injure Carini’s chin.

    Carini threw down her helmet and broke into tears as her coaches rushed into the ring to console her.

    Khelif was awarded the win following Carini’s withdrawal.

    Khelif’s participation in the Olympics has been controversial, with many protesting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing him to compete.

    Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu Ting are the two transgender athletes cleared to participate in the Olympics.

  • Olympics 2024: CAS throws out Canada’s appeal in drone spying case

    Olympics 2024: CAS throws out Canada’s appeal in drone spying case

    Canada’s appeal against the points deduction for their soccer team at the Paris Games, related to a drone spying incident, was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday.

    A panel of three CAS judges dismissed Canada’s appeal, upholding the six-point penalty that FIFA had imposed on Saturday.

    The controversy arose when two assistant coaches used drones to spy on New Zealand’s training sessions before their opening match.

    Consequently, Canada was docked six points, and head coach Bev Priestman, along with officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander, received a one-year ban from all soccer-related activities after New Zealand reported the drone surveillance to FIFA.

    “The application filed by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer in relation to the six-point deduction imposed on the Canadian women’s soccer team for the football tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been dismissed,” CAS said in a statement.

    The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) delivered its urgent verdict less than eight hours before defending Olympic champion Canada faced Colombia in Nice for their final Group A match.

    Despite having won both of their previous games against New Zealand and France, Canada remains in third place with zero points. A victory on Wednesday could still see them progress to the quarterfinals.

    The unprecedented six-point deduction for breaching FIFA rules during the tournament has no recent precedent in modern soccer.

    For comparison, a three-point penalty is currently applied to Ecuador in the qualifying campaign for the men’s 2026 World Cup due to fielding an ineligible player with falsified documents during their 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

    In response to the ruling, the Canada Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer issued a joint statement expressing their gratitude to CAS for the swift hearing.

    “While disappointed in the outcome of our appeal, we commend the players for their incredible resilience and grit over the course of this tournament, and look forward to cheering them on in today’s match against Colombia,” the statement said.

    On Monday, Sport Canada said it was withholding funding allocated for the salaries of Priestman and the two other suspended team officials, calling the drone scandal that has rocked the Paris Olympic soccer tournament an embarrassment to all Canadians.