The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was forced to make a correction on Saturday after its president apparently spread false information about two boxers who were allowed to compete against women despite reportedly having male chromosomes.
IOC President Thomas Bach defended the participation of Imane Kherif, who beat Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds, in the Olympics at a press conference, but the Russia-backed International Boxing Association (IBA) has claimed that Kherif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting had previously tested as biological males with XY chromosomes, sparking anger and concern over the Algerian boxer’s participation.
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, International Boxing Association (IBA) president Umar Kremlyov explained the organisation’s decision to strip Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting and Algeria’s Imane Kherif of eligibility to compete in the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2023. “Based on DNA tests, it became clear that several athletes had tried to deceive their colleagues by posing as women. The tests proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes have been excluded from competition,” Kremlyov said. Said.
But on Saturday, IOC President Thomas Bach Said“We have two boxers who were born female, raised female, have female passports and have competed as women for many years. And this is the clear definition of a woman.”
Despite declaring that he would “not confuse the two issues”, the IOC president appeared to confuse the issues himself, initially saying “this situation is not a transgender issue” and then adding “this is not a case of DSD”.
The IOC Issue a correction He responded to Bach’s comments by saying he meant transgender, not disorders of sex development (DSD), a set of rare conditions in which a person’s genitals don’t always match their chromosomes or hormone levels.
The correction came after Bach suggested the IBA lacked “credibility” in banning Kherif and Lin Yu-ting from the women’s boxing tournament in 2023. On Saturday, Kherif beat another female contestant, Anna-Luka Hamori of Hungary, followed by Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan on Friday.
Fixes
Speaking at today’s IOC – Paris 2024 Press Conference, IOC President Bach said:
“But again, this is not a case of a DSD, this is a case about a woman participating in women’s competition. I think I’ve explained this many times.”The intention was as follows:
“But here again,— IOC Media (@iocmedia) August 3, 2024
After Carini’s defeat, Said Although she withdrew from the match against Khelif to “protect” her life, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni slammed the IOC for allowing the match to go ahead.
“For years I have been trying to explain some beliefs that, if taken to the extreme, can have an impact on women’s rights. I don’t think athletes with male genetic characteristics should take part in women’s competitions, not because I want to discriminate against anyone, but because I want to defend the right of female athletes to compete on an equal footing,” she said at the Italian premiere. Said.
The IOC has also faced criticism from the left, with British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, a member of the left-wing Labour government, saying: Description Labour MP Rosie Duffield described the Kheliff vs Kalini match as “deeply unpleasant viewing”. Added“This is not okay, IOC. Please listen to women.”
Despite the global backlash, Bach sought to reframe the debate, saying the IOC would not engage in a “politically motivated culture war” and condemned the so-called “hate speech” surrounding the controversy.
“What we are seeing now is that some people want to define for themselves what a woman is. So I can only suggest to them a new definition of what a woman is that is based on science. If someone is born, raised, competes as a woman and has a passport, will they not be considered a woman? If they have any suggestions, we are ready to listen and look into it,” he said. Said.
“But we will not take part in politically motivated culture wars, and let me say in this context that the hate speech, attacks and abuse that is happening on social media and being fuelled by this agenda is completely unacceptable.”
JK Rowling condemns male chromosome Olympic boxer who beat female opponent in 46 seconds https://t.co/5Nz39WJ3Un
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 2, 2024
