The International Olympic Committee has announced that two boxers disqualified from last year’s world championships for not meeting gender eligibility criteria will be permitted to compete in Paris.
Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-ting from Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) are set to begin their Olympic journeys this week: Khelif will go up against Italy’s Angela Carini in the 66kg category, while Lin is anticipated to face an undisclosed opponent in the 57kg category on Friday.
The IOC’s decision has sparked controversy, with former world champion Barry McGuigan expressing his concern. He commented on X, stating: “It’s shocking that they were allowed to reach this stage, what is occurring?”
This situation has come about as the previous world championships were conducted under the International Boxing Association’s governance, whose president, Umar Kremlev, informed the Russian news agency Tass that DNA testing had revealed the boxers had “XY chromosomes” and, as a result, were excluded from competitive events.
The IBA conveyed to the Guardian that it made this ruling “following a thorough review and intended to maintain the fairness and integrity of the competition.”
However, the IBA has since been prohibited from governing the Olympic boxing tournament in Paris due to persistent concerns regarding governance matters and a series of judging controversies. Consequently, boxing in Paris is now managed by the IOC’s Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, which enforces more lenient regulations compared to the IBA.
In an official statement, the IOC proclaimed: “The PBU utilized the Tokyo 2020 boxing regulations (adopted at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and associated qualifying events) as a foundation to establish its rules. These rules were derived from the Rio 2016 regulations. The PBU aimed to restrict changes to minimize the effect on athletes’ preparation and ensure consistency between Olympic Games.”
Nevertheless, the IOC’s own MyInfo website acknowledges that both boxers did not pass gender eligibility assessments last year.
According to its internal documentation available to journalists in Paris, the IOC notes that Khelif was “disqualified just hours prior to her gold medal match against Yang Liu at the 2023 world championships in New Delhi, India, due to her elevated testosterone levels exceeding the eligibility standards.” The IOC also recognizes that Lin was “stripped of her bronze medal for failing to meet eligibility requirements based on biochemical test results.”
Lin appears not to have made any comments on the matter. However, Agence France-Presse reported that Khelif alleged she was the target of a “significant conspiracy” after her disqualification shortly before last year’s world championship final.
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“There are conspiracies against Algeria so that its flag isn’t flown and it doesn’t win the gold medal,” the 25-year-old expressed.
The criteria for competing in the female category have been fiercely debated in recent years. Nevertheless, there has been less discussion surrounding combat sports, where the potential for severe injury and even death is considerably higher. Research has also indicated that the average punching force is 162% greater in individuals who have undergone male puberty compared to those who have not.
Comments from the Olympic committees of both countries have been requested.
