Imane Khelif’s Italian opponent refuses to accept cash raised by Republican Lauren Boebert

A fundraiser set up by embattled Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert for the boxer Angelina Carini, who pulled out of a bout against Imane Khelif at the Olympics, has flopped after the Italian rejected the money.

Boebert, who has represented Colorado’s third congressional district since 2021, set up the fundraiser for Carini in August after welterweight threw in the towel just 46 seconds into the fight this summer.

At the time, Carina told the press she was “heartbroken” at having to concede defeat, saying: “I am in pieces because I am a fighter, they taught me to be a warrior. I have always tried to behave with honour, I have always represented my country with loyalty.

“This time, I didn’t manage to because I couldn’t fight any more. Regardless of the person I had in front of me, which doesn’t interest me, regardless of all the row, I just wanted to win. I wanted to face the person I had in front of me and to fight.”

Khelif, along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, was at the centre of a gender storm at the Paris Games over eligibility regulations, with outspoken personalities such as author JK Rowling and Elon Musk criticising her participation and accusing her of being men, despite the fact that both boxers met all the relevant criteria to compete in the women’s boxing.

Khelif, who is not transgender, won the gold medal and went on to file a lawsuit over “acts of aggravated cyber harassment”, explicitly naming Rowling and Musk.

In August, Carina said she wanted to apologise to Khelif, admitting that the controversy surrounding the Algerian “makes me sad” and “If the IOC [International Olympics Committee] said she can fight, I respect that decision”.

The fundraiser, Stand with Angela Carini, sought to raise $196,000 (£150,000) – the equivalent of Italy’s gold medal prize money – for the boxer, with Boebert claiming she was defeated by a “biological man” and “deserves better”.

Boebert later said: “The people are fed up with men in women’s sports. I sure hope Kamala Harris is taking notice. She’s supported this BS from day one and still does. Enough is enough.”

Thousands of dollars were donated by people who believed Khelif “stole” gold medal, but it has now emerged that Carini does not want the money.

On 30 September, Boebert wrote on X/Twitter: “A person with XY chromosomes was allowed to compete against actual, biological women in the Olympics. Americans were rightly outraged and gave generously for Angela Carini, one of the women who was beaten up in the ring and had to stop her match to avoid being seriously injured.

“After my team heard from Angela’s coach, we were informed that she didn’t want to continue with what has been a difficult chapter in her life. While she appreciated the support by so many, she decided not to accept the funds. GiveSendGo refunded the contributions late last week.”

This is not the first time Boebert has pushed anti-trans narratives.

In September 2023, during a debate in the House of Representatives, she refused to recognise Department of Defense deputy under-secretary Shawn Skelly’s gender, deliberately using wrong pronouns throughout the session.

Boebert accused Skelly of “failing at [her] job” and calling her “delusional [for] thinking [she] is a woman.”

The politician has also faced criticism for her anti-abortion stance, denying climate change and being thrown out of a family-friendly performance of Beetlejuice at the Buell Theatre, in Denver, for fondling her date’s crotch.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.