KUALA LUMPUR – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has maintained its decision to allow two female boxers, Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, to compete in the Paris Olympics despite a contentious gender dispute.
This comes amid accusations that the athletes were unfairly targeted and disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) last year.
Khelif, who secured a swift victory in her round of 16 welterweight bout against Italian Angela Carini in just 46 seconds yesterday, and Lin Yu-ting, a double world champion set to fight tonight, have both been cleared to compete.
Carini, who abandoned her bout, cited the powerful punch from Khelif, stating, “I have never taken a punch like that, it is impossible to continue. I’m nobody to say it’s illegal… but one punch hurt too much, and I said enough.”
The controversy stems from Khelif and Yu-ting’s disqualification at the 2023 World Championships for failing the IBA’s eligibility rules, which prohibit athletes with male XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events.
However, the IOC stripped the IBA of its recognition last year due to governance and financial issues, taking over the administration of the boxing competition for Paris 2024.
In a statement today, the IOC emphasised that “every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination.”
They reiterated that all athletes in the boxing tournament comply with the competition’s eligibility and medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).
The IOC pointed out that the gender and age of athletes are determined by their passports, a practice consistent with previous Olympic boxing competitions.
These regulations were applied throughout the qualification period, involving over 1,471 boxers from 172 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and were designed to ensure consistency and minimise disruption to athletes’ preparations.
The IOC criticised the IBA’s handling of the situation, describing the disqualification of Khelif and Yu-ting as “sudden and arbitrary,” without due process.
According to the IOC, this decision was initially made solely by the IBA secretary general and CEO, and only later ratified by the IBA Board, which then called for the establishment of clear gender testing procedures.
“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision,” the IOC stated, underscoring that such actions are contrary to good governance.
They stressed that eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competitions and must be based on scientific evidence.
The IOC expressed sadness over the abuse directed at Khelif and Yu-ting and reaffirmed its commitment to “protecting the human rights of all athletes as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics, and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights.”
The IBA’s recognition was officially withdrawn by the IOC in 2023, a decision upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The IOC has urged National Boxing Federations to agree on a new International Federation to ensure boxing’s inclusion in the LA28 Olympics programme. – August 2, 2024
