The International Olympic Committee (IOC) held its ground as tensions flared over a controversial gender policy in Olympic boxing.
The IOC stepped up to defend Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting amid a gender controversy that has shaken the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The two athletes were disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) at the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, India, after failing gender eligibility tests, according to the New York Post.
IOC defends its Imane Khelif position in Olympics boxing gender controversy https://t.co/2S5bbO4jQi pic.twitter.com/AeVowsd3Pp
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) August 1, 2024
The situation escalated during a match when Khelif’s opponent, Italy’s Angela Carini, withdrew only 46 seconds into the fight, New York Post reported. In response, the IOC criticized the IBA’s actions, calling them “arbitrary” and lacking due process.
“We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024,” the IOC said in a statement. “The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships, and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.” (RELATED: ‘It Is Just Unfair’: 2-Time Gold Medalist Reacts To ‘Scary’ Olympic Boxing Match Between Biological Male And Woman)
The IOC emphasized that Khelif and Lin were victims of a sudden decision by the IBA Secretary General and CEO, made without proper procedure. “Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process,” the statement continued.
![PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 01: Imane Khelif of Team Algeria and Angela Carini of Team Italy exchange punches during the Women's 66kg preliminary round match on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at North Paris Arena on August 01, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)](https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164774410-scaled.jpg)
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 01: Imane Khelif of Team Algeria and Angela Carini of Team Italy exchange punches during the Women’s 66kg preliminary round match on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at North Paris Arena on August 01, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
“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 also stressed eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competitions and that any rule changes must follow appropriate processes and be based on scientific evidence. This stance underscores the need for consistent and fair application of rules in international sports competitions.