Caitlyn Jenner has criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for permitting Imane Khelif to compete against women at the 2024 Paris Olympics, particularly after the Algerian boxer failed a gender test last year.
On Thursday, Khelif attracted attention in France after she triumphed in the women’s 66-kilogram division, finishing her match against Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds.
Following the contest, Carini revealed she felt compelled to forfeit, as she believed she was fighting for her life in the ring against Khelif, who was barred from the 2023 World Championships due to tests indicating she had male XY chromosomes.
The President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, has strongly defended Khelif’s participation in women’s sports, despite criticism toward the 25-year-old for competing in the Games.
Jenner, a gold medalist who won the men’s decathlon in 1976 as Bruce Jenner, asserts that Khelif’s ongoing presence at Olympic events has detrimental effects on the competition.
Caitlyn Jenner didn’t hold back against the IOC when discussing the future of women’s sports
She said the inclusion of Imane Khelif’s in women’s boxing is only ‘hurting’ competition in Paris
‘This issue has significantly affected the Olympic Games. … Everyone’s talking about it,’ Jenner told Fox News on Friday, noting that the controversy has overshadowed the athletes’ achievements this summer.
‘Shame on the IOC for failing to safeguard the integrity of women’s sports, and shame on the IOC for neglecting the safety of women’s sports.’
Khelif is scheduled for her next bout against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
She won against Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori with a score of 5-0 on Saturday.
The IOC has defended Khelif’s eligibility before her Round of 16 matchup this weekend, noting that fellow boxer Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan has faced similar controversies as Khelif.
Lin Yu-Ting also landed in hot water, like Khelif, because she was born with XY chromosome
Khelif is just two medals away from winning gold after defeating Anna Luca Hamori, Saturday
‘These two athletes were victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision made by the International Boxing Association,’ stated the IOC in reference to both Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting regarding their disqualification in 2023.
‘At the conclusion of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were abruptly disqualified without proper due process.’
Meanwhile, Australia’s Skye Nicholson, who turned pro post-Tokyo, labeled Carini’s actions a ‘publicity stunt’.
‘They were born female,’ she remarked about Khelif and Yu-Ting, with whom she has trained. ‘They were born with an XY chromosome, which is the male chromosome, yet they possess female bodies and exhibit the physical attributes of a female.’
‘These are not individuals assigned male at birth who claim to be women to compete against women.’
