Algeria’s Imane Khelif is back on the news, and like last time, she has hardly a say in it. As it turns out, The International Boxing Association (IBA) has now revealed that it will go after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in court for allowing Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting to compete in the women’s category at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Both Khelif and Yu-ting struck gold in the Paris Olympics, but their journey to clinching gold was marred by a huge gender controversy. The IBA claimed that the fighters had failed unspecified gender eligibility tests during the 2022 and 2023 IBA World Championships. Interestingly, the IBA was previously in charge of overseeing boxing in the Olympics.

However, the IOC decided to strip the organization before the 2020 Tokyo Games. The concerns seemed to be over the organization’s finances, links to Russia, and fears of corruption within the organization. Regardless, this raises the question—what is prompting the IBA to pursue legal action against the IOC months after the entire Olympic debacle? 

As it turns out, even though Khelif and Yu-ting, per current knowledge, were born and raised as women, and never identified as transgender or intersex, a recent executive order by US President Donald Trump has encouraged the IBA to pursue legal action against the IOC. What’s the executive order? Well, it’s Trump’s ‘Keeping Men Out Of Women’s Sports’ order signed just a week ago.

Regardless, Khelif has since issued a lengthy statement on the matter. “For eight years, I have fought for my dream-eight years of sacrifice, discipline, and perseverance to stand on the Olympic stage and represent my country with pride,” Khelif wrote in a statement published on Instagram earlier today. 

“I have earned my place, and I will continue to stand firm in the face of any challenge,” she continued. “For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorized, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation. But silence is no longer an option.”

“The International Boxing Association (IBA), an organization that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee, has again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda. This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport.”

“My team is carefully reviewing the situation and will take all necessary legal steps to ensure that my rights and the principles of fair competition are upheld. Those responsible for these actions must be held accountable, and we will pursue all available legal avenues to ensure that justice prevails. I am not going anywhere. I will fight in the ring, I will fight in courts, and I will fight in the public eye until the truth is undeniable.”

With Khelif’s statement out of the way, what exactly does Trump’s executive order entail?

Trump’s Order That Led IBA to Challenge IOC Over Imane Khelif & Lin at 2024 Olympics

Trump’s ‘Keeping Men Out Of Women’s Sports’ order says, “It shall be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth […] Many sport-specific governing bodies have no official position or requirements regarding trans-identifying athletes.”

“Others allow men to compete in women’s categories if these men reduce the testosterone in their bodies below certain levels or provide documentation of ‘sincerely held’ gender identity. These policies are unfair to female athletes and do not protect female safety.” Meanwhile, the IBA also issued a statement while filing its complaint against the IOC.

“The executive order of USA President Donald Trump ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’ proves that IBA stood firm, rightfully protecting female boxers from unfair competition,” the statement read. “In light of the gender eligibility issues surrounding boxers in 2022 and 2023, the IBA proactively conducted all necessary testing and subsequently banned individuals deemed ineligible from participating in women’s competitions.”

“Despite notifying the IOC about the disqualification of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, the IOC disregarded this critical information, allowing both athletes to compete in the Qualifiers and ultimately at the 2024 Olympics, where they secured gold medals, denying opportunities to deserving female athletes.”

“As a result, IBA is filing an official complaint with the Attorney General of Switzerland, Mr Stefan Blattler, regarding the IOC’s actions that facilitated the participation of these ineligible athletes in the 2024 Olympic boxing tournament in Paris.” It’s worth noting that Khelif and Lin reportedly failed the IBA’s gender eligibility tests, but the IOC didn’t see any validity in their tests. Therefore, it allowed both boxers to participate in the women’s category.

The IBA’s statement continued, as they roped in Switzerland, where the IOC is based. “According to the Swiss law, any action or inaction that poses a safety risk to competition participants warrants investigation and may serve as grounds for criminal prosecution. In addition, similar complaints are to be filed with the Attorneys General of France and the USA.”

Since then, an IOC spokesperson shared a statement with The Independent, noting, “This IBA statement is just another example of [the] IBA’s campaign against the IOC, which is ongoing since their recognition was withdrawn by the IOC for issues related to governance, judging and refereeing – as well as questions around their finances.”

“The two female athletes mentioned by [the] IBA are not transgender athletes. They were born as women, were raised as women, and have competed in the women’s category for their entire boxing careers, including at previous international competitions such as the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, when both of them did not win a medal.”

“They also competed in IBA World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments before they became victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were disqualified, without any due process. Neither athlete had a perfect track record coming into Paris.”

“Lin Yu-Ting, for example, lost her last bout before arriving in Paris. Neither athlete medalled at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, where Imane Khelif was defeated in the quarter-finals by Unanimous Decision. Lin Yu-ting lost her first fight in the round of 16. Additionally, neither athlete has more Referee Stop Contest (RSC) victories compared to other successful female boxers.”

“Across their careers, Yu-Ting has won only one of 40 bouts by RSC (3 percent) and Khelif has won five of 37 (14 percent). By comparison, other successful boxers arrived in Paris having won up to 28 percent of their career bouts and 33 percent of their most recent bouts by RSC. Such data is relevant when evaluating whether Yu-Ting and Khelif had a heightened performance advantage and/or safety risk compared to other successful boxers in the women’s category.”

That said, even though Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting may have thought the gender controversy was behind them, it has once again come back to haunt them. Such lawsuits can last years if not more, so their names might be dragged through the mud if a settlement is not reached. What do you think about the IBA going after the IOC once again?