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” I’ve never been hit so hard in my life,’ Angela Carini says, after stopping Olympics bout against ‘biologically male’ opponent

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Olympics”I quit to save my life, I have never been hit so hard in my life,’ Angela Carini Says, after stopping Olympics bout against ‘biologically male’ opponent.

An Italian boxer abandoned her bout at the Paris Olympics after only 46 seconds on Thursday, refusing to continue after taking a heavy punch from an Algerian opponent who had been disqualified from last year’s world championships over questions about her eligibility to compete in women’s sports.

The Italian boxer, Angela Carini, withdrew after her Algerian opponent, Imane Khelif, landed a powerful blow that struck Carini square in the face. Carini paused for a moment, then turned her back to Khelif and walked to her corner. Her coaches quickly signaled that she would not continue, and the referee stopped the fight.

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Khelif, 25, was permitted to compete at the Olympics even though she had been barred last year after boxing officials said she did not meet eligibility requirements to compete in a women’s event.

Another athlete also barred from last year’s world championships under similar circumstances, Lin Yu-ting, has also been cleared to fight in Paris.

The International Boxing Association, which ran those championships and ordered the disqualifications, offered little insight into the reasons for the boxers’ removal, saying in a statement that the disqualifications came after “the athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test.”

The association said that test, the specifics of which it said were confidential, “conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.”

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Those rules, which the boxing association adopted for the 2016 Rio Games, are the same ones the International Olympic Committee is operating under as the authority running the boxing tournament at the Paris Games. But the rules, the I.O.C. confirmed, do not include language about testosterone or restrictions on gender eligibility beyond a single line saying “gender tests may be conducted.”

In recent days, the presence in the women’s Olympic competition of two boxers who have faced eligibility questions has become the latest flashpoint in the politically charged debate over gender and fair play in sports.

The International Olympic Committee, which is overseeing the boxing competition, said the disqualifications of Khelif and Lin at the 2023 world championships had been “sudden and arbitrary,” and it defended their right to fight in Paris.

“Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination,” the I.O.C. said.

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Carini declined to shake Khelif’s hand after her defeat was announced, then fell to her knees in the ring and began to cry.

“I am heartbroken,” she told reporters afterward. “I went to the ring to honor my father. I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this.”

She added: “I got into the ring to fight. I didn’t give up. But one punch hurt too much and so I said, ‘Enough.’ I’m going out with my head held high.”

Carini declined to say if Khelif should have been allowed to participate.

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“I am no one to judge this match,” she said. “I am not a referee.”

“We can’t punish a woman for naturally having something that other women don’t have,” Shields said. “That’s like saying, ‘Oh, she’s too strong to be at this weight, she’s knocking everybody out, we’re going to put her in the men’s division.’ It has to be some facts that make sense.”

The debate about who should be allowed to participate in women’s sports centers on two flashpoint issues.

One involves transgender athletes like the American swimmer Lia Thomas, who fought an unsuccessful legal battle seeking a chance to qualify for the Paris Games. Some sports, including swimming and track and field, effectively bar from women’s events those athletes who went through puberty as males.

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Mark Adams, a spokesman for the International Olympic Committee, said that Khelif of Algeria and Lin of Taiwan, were not transgender athletes and should not be described as such.

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NNPC slashes petrol price twice within four days

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, has slashed its fuel pump price for the second time within four days.

A market survey on Saturday by DAILY POST showed that NNPCL retail outlets around Airport Junction and Wuse Zone 6 (Berger) in Abuja have reduced their petrol price to N1210 per litre, down from N1260.

This means that the state-owned oil firm slashed the petrol price by N50 per litre.

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This comes barely two days after Dangote Refinery reduced its petrol gantry price by N50 to N1,125 per litre.

Recall that four days ago, NNPCL had adjusted its fuel price pump by N75 per litre to N1260.

With the latest drop by NNPCL retail outlets, petrol prices stand between N1210 per litre and N1305 per litre in Abuja and its environs.

The reduction in domestic fuel comes amid falling crude oil prices, which stand at $69 per barrel and $71 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude, respectively, following the easing of the conflict in the Middle East.

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Recall that President Bola Tinubu has kept mum amid the clamour by Nigerians for a commensurate drop in domestic fuel pump prices due to the significant reduction in crude oil prices.

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Lokoja Court order: INEC speaks on NDC, says it’s yet to receive CTC

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it is yet to receive the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the Federal High Court judgment that set aside an earlier order directing it to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, as a political party.

INEC revealed this in a statement issued on Saturday by its Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola.

According to the commission, although it is aware of media reports on the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja on June 26, it cannot comment on the ruling until it obtains and reviews the certified copy.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is aware of reports circulating in the media regarding the judgment delivered on Friday, June 26, 2026, by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, which set aside an earlier order concerning the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

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“However, as of this moment, the Commission has not yet received the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the court’s order,” the statement said.

INEC stated that its legal department would study the judgment upon receipt of the CTC before advising the commission on the next course of action.

“Once the Commission’s legal department receives and thoroughly studies the CTC of the judgment, INEC will take an informed, lawful decision in line with the court’s directives.

“Until then, we cannot comment on the specifics of the ruling, and the public is urged to await the Commission’s formal position on the matter,” Oketola added.

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Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja had on Friday set aside the court’s December 10, 2025, judgment directing INEC to register the NDC as a political party.

The court held that the rights of the Peace Movement Party were affected by the earlier judgment because it was not joined in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo relied upon in securing the registration order.

Justice Dashen consequently ordered that all parties be restored to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and directed that the substantive suit be heard afresh with all necessary parties joined.

The NDC has rejected the ruling and announced plans to appeal the decision. Its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, maintained that the party had not been deregistered and argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to revisit a matter on which it had already delivered a final judgment.

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The ruling has also attracted reactions from opposition figures, including the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and other stakeholders, who described the decision as a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and vowed to challenge it through all available legal channels.

INEC, however, maintained that it would reserve its position on the judgment until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy.

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Just in: Police rescue five abductees in Ogun

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A joint police operation rescued five victims abducted near Ogbere Forest in Ogun state on Wednesday.

They were rescued within 25 hours by the Lagos and Ogun Police Commands, which were part of a joint operation codenamed KOSAYE, meaning “No Space” in Yoruba.

The woman was among the victims who were shot in the incident. Her daughter and sister were among those rescued by the police on Thursday.

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