The International Olympic Committee insisted on Thursday that the women’s boxing athletes “complyed with the eligibility and participation regulations of the competition, as well as all applicable medical regulations established by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).”
The IOC statement came after Algerian boxer Imane Kherif defeated Italy’s Angela Carini by forfeit, allowing her to compete despite the International Boxing Association (IBA) ruling that she has “XY chromosomes.”
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International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (not pictured) ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on July 26, 2024. (Wang Lili – Pool/Getty Images)
The IBA said in a statement on Wednesday that tests had revealed that “both athletes did not meet the necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have a competitive advantage over other female athletes.”
Kherif’s victory sparked fierce debate on social media, with many arguing that the International Olympic Committee should not have allowed the matches to go ahead and that Kherif should not have competed at all.
The IOC defended its decision to allow Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting to compete in the women’s competition and criticized the IBA. The organization added that “in previous Olympic boxing competitions, an athlete’s gender and age were based on their passport,” and said their eligibility rules were used in other IOC-sanctioned competitions.
“The IOC has become aware of misleading information published about two female boxers who will compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Both athletes have a long history of competing in international women’s boxing competitions, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, IBA World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments,” the IOC said in a statement.
Olympic boxer determined to have male chromosomes wins bout in 46 seconds, opponent left in tears by brutal blows
Imane Kherif of Algeria (in red) competes against Angela Carini of Italy (not pictured) in the women’s 66 kg qualification round during day six of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena on August 1, 2024 in Paris, France. (Fabio Bozzani/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“These two athletes were victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. They were suddenly disqualified without due process, as they approached the end of the 2023 IBA World Championships.”
“According to the minutes of the meeting, available on the IBA website, the decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board subsequently endorsed it and subsequently requested that a procedure be established to be followed in future similar cases and reflected in IBA regulations. The minutes also state that the IBA should ‘establish clear procedures regarding sex testing.'”
“The current attack against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was made without due process, particularly given that these two athletes have competed together at the highest level of competition for many years.”
The IOC added that it was “saddened by the abuse currently being suffered by two athletes.”
Lin Yu-ting (red) of Taiwan faces off against Nadzhim Qiyazaibai (blue) of Kazakhstan in the women’s flyweight (51 kg) boxing quarterfinals at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 29, 2018. (Bey Ismoyo/AFP via Getty Images)
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Lin is scheduled to play on Friday and Kheriff on Saturday.
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