The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it has “no problem” with Imane Khalif (26-Algeria) and Lin Yui-ting (28-Taiwan), who were allowed to compete in the women’s boxing event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games despite having a male XY chromosome. We are saddened by the abuse they have received.”
“Everyone has the right to exercise without discrimination,” the IOC said in a statement on Feb. 2 (local time), adding that “all athletes competing in boxing at the Olympic Games in Paris must comply with the eligibility, participation and medical regulations of the Games, and that gender and age will be determined by ‘passport’ as in previous years.”
“These rules have also been applied to the 2023 European Games, Asian Games and Pan American Games, as well as the Olympic qualifying events,” the IOC said. “They have been applied to more than 2,000 bouts involving 1,471 athletes from 172 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), boxing refugee teams and AINs.”
As Khalif and Lin Yueting qualified for the Paris Games based on the clear standards that have been in place for years, their participation is not in question.
Khalif is a top female boxer who competes in the women’s 66-kilogram division and Lin Yuting in the women’s 57-kilogram division, and the controversy over their gender arose at last year’s World Championships in New Delhi, India.
Khalif was disqualified by the IBA ahead of the final.
“Khalif and Lin Yuting have XY chromosomes (male chromosomes),” IBA president Umar Klemleff said in a press statement at the time.
However, the IOC did not take away Khalif and Lin Yuting’s right to compete in Paris, saying that chromosomes alone cannot determine an athlete’s gender.
As the story broke, sports fans around the world voiced criticism.
Italy’s Minister of Family Affairs claimed that Khalif’s first-round opponent, fellow countrywoman Angela Carina, “could be an unfair and potentially dangerous match,” while Sports Minister Andrea Abboudi said, “It is difficult to understand the inconsistency of standards regarding hormone levels in international competitions.”
Amid the outcry, Khalif took on Karini in the women’s 66-kilogram round of 16 at the North Arena in Paris, France, on Jan. 1, and won a 46-second decision in a one-sided bout.
“I felt a strong pain in my nose and I couldn’t continue,” Kharini said.
The IOC last year suspended the IBA for gross mismanagement, including referee bias, financial difficulties and match-fixing. The boxing events in Paris will be organized by the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU), a temporary body set up by the IOC.
The IOC also said it would remove boxing from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if national boxing federations do not create a new international federation. 파워볼게임