Imane Khelif's next opponent changes her tune ahead of controversial Olympics boxing clash

Anna Luca Hamori has claimed it's 'not fair' that Imane Khelif is allowed to compete in the women's boxing at the Olympics ahead of their quarter-final bout on Saturday.

Khelif, 25, is one of two boxers who have been cleared to compete at the Paris games despite being disqualified from the Women's World Championships after they were said to have failed gender eligibility tests last year.

The Algerian will meet Hamori in the quarter-finals of the women's 66kg category. But on the eve of the bout, Hamori took to social media and wrote: "In my humble opinion I don't think it's fair that this contestant can compete in the women's category. But I cannot concern myself with that now. I cannot change it, it's life.

"I can promise you one thing… I will do my best to win and I will fight as long as I can!"

Hamori, 23, had previously said that she was "not scared" of facing Khelif, nor was she paying any attention to the reaction to her win over Angela Carini earlier this week.

“I don’t care about the press story and social media, Hamori said previously. “If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win.”

“I’m trying to not use my phone before the fight,” she added. “I don’t want to care about the comments or the story or the news. I just want to stay focused on myself. I did it before my last two fights, so I think this is the key, and we will see.”

Khelif's opening round bout with Carini lasted just 46 seconds before the Italian took a knee. She was seen crying and refused to shake Khelif's hand after the bout.

Carini has since expressed her regret at the incident, though, saying: “All this controversy makes me sad. I’m sorry for my opponent, too. … If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”

She added: “It wasn’t something I intended to do [ignoring the handshake]. Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don’t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.”

In the wake of Khelif's bout with Carini, the IOC - together with the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit - released a joint statement outlining that every athlete participating in Paris complied with their regulations.

The statement read: “Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination. All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).”

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