25-year-old Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting, 28, have come under fire since they defeated their respective opponents at the quarter finals to, at least, secure a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The controversy surrounding them stems from misconceptions about their gender, which has become a hot topic lately. So, in EssentiallySports’ FanCast, an immersive interview experience, we spoke to Team USA Asst. Coach Christine Lopez to get her thoughts on the subject! 

The International Olympic Committee allowed the two female boxers to compete in the games this year after the two boxers failed unspecified gender eligibility tests last year during the World Championships, which was conducted by the International Boxing Association. The IBA has since been banished from ever hosting the Olympics because of the judging controversies and lack of transparency in the prior Olympic games. Despite the decision from the IOC, however, the misconception surrounding Khelif and Yu-ting’s gender has garnered a lot of hate online. 

So, during our EssentillySports Exclusive Interview, assistant coach Lopez reflected on the entire ordeal, suggesting, “You know nothing goes without controversy. We definitely have our share here, at the 2024 Olympics”. It’s worth mentioning that both Khelif and Yu-ting were born biological females, but due to a health disease/condition that results in them having XY chromosomes and elevated testosterone, although at no fault of their own.

Reflecting on the situation, Lopez suggested she had heard rumors about massive protests erupting after Khelif defeated Italian boxer Angela Carini on Thursday. The Italian boxer withdrew a mere 46 seconds into the bout, claiming Khelif’s punches severely hurt her. Regardless, the Team USA assistant coach revealed, “I have not seen one [protests]. Not anywhere in the city, not the city, not the subway, not outside of the center”.

Announcing she is not a doctor, so she doesn’t know what Khelif’s diagnosis means, but claimed she has seen the boxer compete and even sparred with the Algerian. Interestingly, Lopez recollected Khelif’s win over Carini, and when Khelif walked in the locker room after the fight, “We just gave a round of applause. She was sobby, and she was beside herself. You know I felt for her”.

Lopez praised both female boxers for what they have endured on their journey to the Olympics while pleading with people to look at them as somebody’s children. “You know I have children. And I think, man, they are somebody’s children. It’s not fair. Let’s just be more compassionate, especially when we don’t have all of the details”, Lopez said. 

She finally tried to reason with the critics, highlighting despite all the false rumors about the female boxers they have been beaten before. “So, it’s not like they are just dominating these women,” Lopez added. Despite what Lopez said during our EssentiallySports Exclusive Interview, the IBA hasn’t stopped their attacks on the boxers!

International Boxing Association claims Imane Khelif is ‘Male’

On August 5th, the IBA officials held a press conference in Paris, aiming to explain the tests conducted on Khelif and Yu-ting, as well as the results found from them. While they were limited in terms of what information they can reveal because of medical confidentiality, the former IBA medical committee chairman Ioannis Filippatos highlighted that there were abnormalities in the blood samples collected in 2022 from both boxers. 

Per IBA officials, further tests in 2023 confirmed those findings, and the boxers were disqualified from the Championship. “The medical result, blood result, looks — and the laboratory says — that this boxer is male. The problem is that we have two blood exams with karyotype of male. This is the answer from the laboratory”, said Filippatos.

Following this statement, the Algerian Olympic and Sports Committee swiftly jumped into action, issuing a response to the claims. They said the IBA is not a legitimate organization and doesn’t have any links to the Olympic games. “Our champion, Imane Khelif, remains untouched and undeterred by the baseless claims of the IBA”, the committee added.

Just like every other athlete in the Olympics this year, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting have traversed adversities to get to where they are today. While there’s a debate to be had about the potential advantages the boxers may possess over their opponents, is dragging their names through the mud the right thing to do? As Christine Lopez urged people to show more compassion during the EssentiallySports Exclusive Interview, maybe there’s a better way of handling this. What do you think?