Riley Gaines, known for being vocal against biological males competing in women’s sports, weighed in on a contoversial boxing match at the Paris Olympics.
And she had billionaire Elon Musk agreeing with her.
The boxing match in question involved Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Italian boxer Italian boxer Angela Carini, which lasted only 46 seconds in the ring, but will be a topic of conversation a lot longer, as IJR reported on.
Carini stopped the fight against Khelif, who had previously been deemed to have XY chromosomes and previously barred from women’s boxing bouts, as IBA president Umar Kremlev previously said.
Carini, who was fighting against Khelif in the women’s 66-kilogram division Thursday, said the punches from her opponent were too much to handle.
“I got into the ring to fight,” she said. “I didn’t give up, but one punch hurt too much and so I said enough.”
Both Gaines and Musk went on X, formerly Twitter, to express their thoughts on the Olympic-sized controversy.
“Men don’t belong in women’s sports,” Gaines posted. “Let’s get it trending.”
Musk simply wrote, “Absolutely.”
Gaines praised Carini, Fox News reported, for using “the most effective way to send the message that enough is enough.”
“It was very clear that this athlete was different than the athletes from the fight before. I felt heartbroken,” Gaines said on OutKick’s “Hot Mic.”
“In reality, she is the winner. She is a hero for every young girl watching that … and reality all of humanity for forfeiting,” Gaines said.
Khelif was previously banned from the IBA World Championships for failing to meet gender requirements, IJR reported.
Gaines blamed the International Olympic Committee for allowing Khelif into the ring to fight a woman, per Fox News.
The IOC said the women boxers “comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).”
Gaines didn’t buy that reasoning.
“That’s just the obligatory piece they have to say. They don’t mean it, they don’t care about Angela Carini. They don’t care that she could have potentially lost her life. That sounds exaggerated, but that’s the reality of it. If it’s a fatal injury, the IOC doesn’t care,” Gaines said.
“The message that [the IOC is] sending loud and clear … is that we, as women, don’t matter, we’re not worthy of equal opportunity, we’re not worthy of calling ourselves champions; we exist to validate the feelings and identity of a man,” she added.
Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori faces Khelif on Saturday. Hamori has said she is “not scared” of her opponent.
