Two female boxers who were not allowed to compete at the 2023 World Championships due to failing gender tests are allowed to fight at the Olympic Games. The IOC, which has come under fire, is now making serious accusations against the International Boxing Association (IBA).
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- Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yutin were not allowed to fight at the 2023 World Championships because they failed the gender test.
- However, they will be allowed to compete at the Olympic Games. After Khelifi's fight on Thursday, a heated discussion broke out again.
- In a statement, the IOC stated that there was no doubt that Khelif and Yutin were women and attacked the boxing federation: "Both were victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA."
On Thursday, the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif makes short work of the Italian Angela Carini in the round of 16. The fight only lasted 46 seconds - but the discussions have not yet died down. Even Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni gets carried away with a questionable comment.
Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yutin were disqualified by the IBA during the 2023 World Championships because they failed unspecified gender tests. The fact that the two were allowed to fight for medals in Paris therefore unsurprisingly sparked heated debate.
Following Khelif's fight, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) published a detailed statement on Thursday evening in which it attacked the boxing association IBA, which it blamed for the discussions. "Everyone has the right to participate in sport without discrimination," writes the IOC, complaining of "misleading information".
"Both were victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the 2023 World Championships, they were disqualified without due process," the statement continues. The IBA has not been recognized by the IOC for some time - as in Tokyo, the IOC organizes the boxing competitions in Paris itself.
Nasty accusations against Khelif
Italy's Prime Minister is not satisfied with the statement. Meloni denounced the "unequal" fight and stated: "I don't agree with the IOC. I think that female athletes with male genetic characteristics should not be allowed to take part in women's competitions. Not because we want to discriminate against anyone, but to protect the right of female athletes."
Previously, the defeated Italian boxer also insinuated that her opponent was not a woman: "I have often fought in the national team. I train with my brother. I've always fought against men, but today I was in too much pain." After the fight, she refused to shake Khelif's hand.
Emotions were already running high before the fight
In the run-up to the fight, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said that the two boxers were "fully eligible". "They are women, they were there in Tokyo. I think we have a responsibility to boil this down and not turn it into some kind of witch hunt."
