IOC criticizes 'current aggression' vs. two boxers in 2024 Paris Olympics gender row
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on early Aug. 2, Manila time, criticized the "current aggression" faced by two female boxers competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In just 46 seconds, Algeria's Imane Khelif won against Italy's Angela Carini in the women's 66kg category after the latter surrendered due to a badly hurt nose that led to bleeding on Aug. 1.
Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, meanwhile, is fighting in the 57kg category on Aug. 2.
Khelif and Yu-ting were disqualified at the 2023 World Championships after failing the International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules that prevent athletes with male XY chromosomes from competing in women's events.
Some sports have limited the levels of testosterone allowed for athletes competing in women's competition, while others ban everyone who has been through male puberty, Reuters reported. Differences of Sexual Disorder (DSD) are a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones, and reproductive organs. Some people with DSDs are raised as female but have XY sex chromosomes and blood testosterone levels in the male range.
The IOC—and not the IBA—is running the boxing in Paris because of governance, financial, and ethical issues in the latter.
It allowed Khelif and Yu-ting to join the women's competition, as they did at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination," the IOC said in a statement posted on its website.
It noted that all athletes participating in the boxing tournament fulfilled the necessary qualifications and medical criteria outlined by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit.
Like past Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passports, the IOC noted.
It said the same rules applied during the qualification period, including in the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games, the ad hoc 2023 African qualifying tournament in Dakar, and two world qualifying tournaments held in Busto Arsizio and Bangkok.
The IOC called out the misleading information in reports about Khelif and Yu-ting, clarifying that they have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, IBA World Championships, and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.
"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA," the IOC said. "Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process."
It accused the IBA of poor governance, asserting that based on the IBA minutes, the decision to disqualify the boxers was "initially taken solely" by the latter's secretary general and CEO without the board's approval.
The IOC noted that the IBA Board only ratified the decision afterward and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA regulations.
"The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision," the IOC said, noting it was taken "without any proper procedure—especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years."
The IOC said eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competition, and any rule change "must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence."
The IOC said it's committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympics.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams previously told reporters that everyone competing in the women's category is complying with competition eligibility rules.
"They are women in their passports and it's stated in there that they are female," Adams is quoted as saying.
IBA reiterates stance, firm position
The IBA, in a statement on Aug. 1, said it reiterated its stance and firm position toward its July 31 statement regarding the removal of ineligible athletes from all IBA female competitions.
"IBA remains committed in ensuring competitive fairness in all of our events," it said. "[W]e absolutely condemn the inconsistencies in eligibility to compete in the boxing competition held in the Paris Olympic Games 2024."
It noted that Khelif and Yu-ting did not meet the required eligibility criteria to compete within the female category of the IBA's respective events.
"We absolutely do not understand why any organization would put a boxer at risk with what could bring a potential serious injury within the Field of Play," it said, adding that the main role of the referee in the ring is to manage the boxer’s safety at all times.
"How is this reasonably practicable when a boxer fails to meet the eligibility criteria to compete?" it said.
The IBA said it will "never support" any boxing bouts between the genders, "as the organization puts the safety and well-being of our athletes first."
"We are protecting our women and their rights to compete in the ring against equal rivals, and we will defend and support them in all instances," it said. "[T]heir hopes and dreams must never be taken away by organizations unwilling to do the right thing under difficult circumstances."
"IBA stands by its position and will continue to support all athletes within the spirit of the rules," it added.
The 2024 Paris Olympics started on July 26 and will run until Aug. 11. If you want to witness our local athletes as they strive for the gold, you can watch the games through Cignal TV. The platforms include Cignal TV’s free-to-air and pay-per-view television, while digital broadcasts can be watched on OneSports, One News, and News5.
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