Boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan have been facing backlash due to their participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics owing to gender misconceptions. Both fighters were disqualified by the IBA (International Boxing Association) in the women’s world championships last year after failing their gender eligibility test.

The IBA, which for long had been the governing body for amateur boxing worldwide, lost its powers a few years ago after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) alleged financial transparency issues and other governance-related problems. As a result of these issues, the IOC stripped the IBA of its Olympic boxing rights. However, the IBA has been fighting to regain control of boxing at the Olympics. The IOC’s decision to permit Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting to compete in the women’s category at this year’s Olympics has further exacerbated the issues between the two organizations. The two have been battling it out in public ever since.

IOC vs. IBA: The reason behind Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting’s eligibility for the 2024 Olympics

The IOC and IBA have been at loggerheads over whether or not Khelif and Yu-ting should compete in the Olympics. Even though there have been disagreements between the two bodies previously, the circumstances surrounding the two boxers being allowed to compete as women have fanned the flames once again. Speaking on the IBA disqualifying the two boxers from last year’s world championships, IOC spokesman Mark Adams asserted that the IBA’s gender eligibility tests were not legitimate. Thereby, defending IOC’s choice not to adhere to them.

Adams said that the tests were taken “kind of overnight” on an ad-hoc basis, and further added, “The tests were taken arbitrarily. The very fact that the decision to do the testing on the spot there (at the world championships)… I am not quite sure what the foundation for the testing was.” He indicated that the IBA had not followed the correct procedures, and the two boxers had been competing in the women’s category at the highest level for a number of years now, and should not have been treated this way. 

Further discrediting IBA’s findings, Adams stated, “How are they targeted for this to come about and is it fair and right that two individuals are targeted in this way…. by a federation that is completely discredited?” 

IOC President Thomas Bach also stated that the two boxers have been subjected to derogatory discourse in a “politically motivated” dispute, which is “totally unacceptable.” However, the IBA defended its decision in a recent press conference justifying its course of action taken a year ago.

IBA releases statements about Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting’s Olympic participation

Imane Khelif performed brilliantly in her round-of-16 welterweight bout against Angela Carini of Italy. The bout ended in just 46 seconds as the Italian boxer suffered a vicious punch from Khelif. Carini felt that something was not right, and said that she had “never been hit so hard”. Lin Yu-ting, on the other hand, also entered the semifinals after her win yesterday.

Following the recent statements of the IOC, the IBA again reiterated that the two boxers had a significant advantage over their female opponents based on the sex chromosome test they conducted on two separate occasions. The IBA stated that the test results cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality. However, they did reveal that the testing was done at the 2022 Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul and the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi. Subsequently, a letter on the findings was submitted to the IOC last year regarding the same

“The results of the chromosome tests demonstrated both boxers were ineligible,” IBA chief executive Chris Roberts said in a recent press conference. According to IBA, the two boxers failed “to meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.” 

Since the IOC had already revoked the IBA’s Olympic boxing rights, the validity of the tests conducted could not be confirmed. After the IBA was barred last year, the IOC assumed control, but it does not have a rule to conduct the similar sex chromosome tests that the IBA did. Instead, it has a framework with a multifaceted approach to eligibility, but no gender tests. Consequently, the IOC concluded that the two Olympic aspirants could compete in the women’s category at the Olympics. The IBA, therefore, expressed concerns, saying that the IOC seemed to be ignoring fairness and athletes’ safety.  

It must be noted that after being disqualified last year at the World Championships, Imane Khelif disputed the decision by taking it to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), but it was eventually canceled as she did not pay the expenses for procedures. Yu-ting, on the other hand, chose not to appeal her disqualification.

This issue has quickly caught global attention with notable people like Donald Trump, J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk, and Jake Paul questioning why Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting are allowed to compete in the women’s category at the Olympics. Meanwhile, what do you think about it? Is the IOC doing the right thing by allowing these boxers? Or is IBA at fault here? Share your opinions in the comments section below.