Olympics defends itself as boxer controversy rages

The International Olympic Committee is speaking out on a pair of boxers who have previously failed gender tests being allowed to compete at this year’s games.

Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan were both disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2023 after failing gender eligibility tests. Despite this, they have been allowed to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, as the IOC doesn’t require those tests.

The organization also made Khelif and Yu-ting out to be victims of the IBA’s policies, and stood by their decision to allow the boxers in the ring, releasing a joint statement on the controversy.

“We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments,” the statement reads.

“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process,” it continues. “According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also say that the IBA should ‘establish a clear procedure on gender testing’.”

“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years,” the IOC explained. “Such an approach is contrary to good governance.”

“Eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competition, and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence.”

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Sierra Marlee

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