The International Olympic Committee defended the pair of boxers at the center of a gender controversy that took the 2024 Summer Games by storm Thursday.
Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan have come under fire after failing gender eligibility tests and being disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) at the 2023 world championships in New Delhi, India.
The debate around the boxers exploded on Thursday when Khelif forced Italy’s Angela Carini to withdraw just 46 seconds into their opening-round fight.
The IOC, which doesn’t require similar gender eligibility tests, backed Khelif and Lin hours later, stating that the boxers were victims of an “arbitrary decision” by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.
“We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024,” the IOC wrote 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.
“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.”
The controversy underscores a yearslong dispute between the IOC and the Russian-led IBA over alleged failures of governance and integrity.
“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.
“Such an approach is contrary to good governance.
“Eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competition, and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence.”
Lin’s first bout of the Paris Olympics will take place on Friday against Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova.On Saturday, Khelif will take on Hungaria’s Anna Luca Hamori in the quarterfinals.
