Have You Boxed with a Man Before?
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Comments Spark Controversy Over Female Olympic Boxer’s Match
A recent video has sparked controversy as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán seems to imply that female Olympic boxer Luca Anna Hámori had fought against a male boxer during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
During his customary rounds for International Women’s Day on March 8, Orbán visited the gym where top Hungarian female boxer Luca Hámori is training. The meeting was filmed and later posted on Instagram.
Orbán brought a present for Hámori, a boxing glove signed by U.S. champion Evander Holyfield. On the glove, there was a Biblical reference from Philippians 4.13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
In a light-hearted comment, Orbán remarked that Holyfield had never boxed with a woman, suggesting that Hámori had achieved a remarkable feat by fighting a male boxer.
On August 3, 2024, Luca Hámori fought Imane Khelif of Algeria during the women’s 66kg boxing quarter-final at the Arena de Paris Nord. After a controversial match, Hámori finished in fifth place, losing to Khelif on unanimous points.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) announced in February that it plans to take legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the inclusion of Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting in the Olympics. Both boxers had previously failed gender eligibility tests and were excluded from the IBA’s 2023 world championships.
Despite the controversy, the IOC allowed Khelif and Lin to compete in the Paris Olympics, leading to further discussions about fairness in women’s boxing.
The comments made by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have sparked debate and raised questions about the treatment of female athletes in the sports world. The controversy surrounding Hámori’s match against Khelif continues to be a topic of discussion in the Olympic community.
