The International Olympics Committee defended their decision to allow two female boxers — Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting — to compete at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Khelif made it to the headlines after she defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds as controversy sparked after the Algerian’s win with many calling for her disqualification from the tournament.
Khelif and Yu-ting were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after failing International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules. However, the IBA was stripped of its recognition by the IOC last year over governance and finance issues.
“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA,” the IOC said in a statement. “Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.
“According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.”
Some sports allow a limited level of testosterone for female athletes in women’s competition while others ban those who have gone through male puberty.
The IOC further stated that the eligibility rules were based on the Tokyo Games 2021 and thus, cannot be changed during a competition.
“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure, especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years,” the IOC said
“The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving,” it added. “Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.”
Meanwhile, the IBA, in a statement, called out the “inconsistencies in eligibility” at the Paris Olympics saying that both the boxers did not meet the criteria to compete within the female category.
“Both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting post testing, did not meet the required eligibility criteria to compete within the female category of our respective events,” the body added.
“The urgent nature of the decision [to disqualify the boxers] was justified, as the safety of our boxers is our top priority.”
