Paris Olympics 2024: Tejaswin Shankar takes the plunge into Paris gender row!

India`s Tejaswin Shankar at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year. pic/AFP

High jumper Tejaswin Shankar has emerged as the first Indian athlete to speak on the gender segregation row that has taken the ongoing Paris Olympics by storm.

On Thursday Italian boxer Angela Carini refused to continue her fight against Algeria's Imane Khelif just 46 seconds into their contest in Paris. Khelif, is one of two athletes, who were cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics by the IOC despite having been disqualified from last year's Women's World Championships in New Delhi for failing to meet the gender eligibility criteria.

Algeria's Imane Khelif (in red) and Italy's Angela Carini leave after their women's 66kg round of 16 boxing match was halted mid-way by the Italian who refused to fight. Pic/AFP

"All for equal opportunity, but clearly what's going on is unfair towards one side. Why can't there be a separate category for athletes with excess androgen? Across sports- Similar to para sports maybe? #AngelaCarini #ImaneKhelif #controversialtake," Shankar, India's national record holder in men's high jump, who failed to qualify for the Paris Games, wrote on social media platform X on Thursday.

The internet went into overdrive on Thursday after Carini broke down in the ring moments after throwing in the towel, having withstood some strong punches by Khelif. Many X users claimed Khelif is a transgender and should not be a part of women's boxing, leading to a raging online debate on the issue.