‘You’re a disgrace’: JK Rowling speaks out over Olympics boxing controversy

Author JK Rowling has slammed the Head of the Safe Sport Unit at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday. Rowling responded to a video posted by IOC Media where Kirsty Burrows discussed how the 2024 Paris Olympics is tackling mental health. Burrows explained how the 2024 Paris Olympics offered “the most comprehensive package of mental health and safeguarding initiatives”. The Harry Potter author criticised the video and labelled the IOC’s safeguarding “a joke”. “A young female boxer has just had everything she’s worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her. You’re a disgrace, your ‘safeguarding’ is a joke and #Paris24 will be forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini,” she wrote. On Thursday, Algeria’s Imane Khelif defeated Italy’s Angela Carini after just 46 seconds. Carini decided to end the match in under a minute after taking several punches to the head by Khelif.