PARIS, France (AFP) — Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s 46-second win in the Paris Olympics sparked a furious row about gender eligibility rules, with public figures from around the world weighing in on the controversy.

Italian boxer Angela Carini retired hurt and shrugged off attempts by Khelif to shake her hand, before collapsing to her knees and sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of the ring.

Khelif advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s 66-kilogram category after unloading two strong punches to the face of Carini, who had blood on her shorts and was unable to carry on because of a badly hurt nose.

“My nose started dripping (with blood) from the first hit,” said the distressed Carini, who also broke down in tears when talking to reporters.

The 25-year-old sobbed: “I fought very often in the national team. I train with my brother. I’ve always fought against men, but I felt too much pain today.”

Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who fights on Friday at 57kg, were disqualified from the 2023 world championships in New Delhi run by the International Boxing Association but deemed eligible to box in the women’s competition in Paris.

Both boxers also competed at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

The IBA, in a statement on Wednesday, said Lin and Khelif were disqualified from the world championships as “a result of their failure to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition.”

“The athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential,” it added.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is running the boxing in the French capital because of governance, financial and ethical issues at the IBA.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters this week that they “are women in their passports and it’s stated in there that they are female.”

The IOC reiterated the same line as the furore raged following the easy win for Khelif, who will return to the ring on Saturday.

The IOC accused the IBA of making “an arbitrary decision,” adding: “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision.”

But the one-sided bout sparked an immediate reaction from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said the fight was “not on an equal footing” and she did not agree with the IOC’s policy.

“I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions,” she said during a meeting with Italian athletes in Paris.

Donald Trump declared on his Truth Social network: “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”

Harry Potter author JK Rowling said on X that the Paris Games would be “forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini.”