International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach defended the decision to allow boxers Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif to compete, emphasizing that concerns over their gender identity are unacceptable. Bach clarified that both boxers have always competed in women’s divisions without any indication of being transgender or intersex.
Questions arose after Yu-ting and Khelif were disqualified from competing with women last year but cleared by the IOC for the Paris Games. An incident involving Italian boxer Angela Carini quitting a match against Khelif fueled the controversy, resulting in Carini leaving in tears after a brief exchange of punches.
Both boxers failed gender eligibility tests at a previous event, leading to their disqualification due to unspecified test failures related to alleged male chromosomes. Khelif, who made her Olympic debut at Tokyo, has denied claims of cheating and called the disqualification a “conspiracy,” which her father also condemned as immoral.
Critics, including J.K. Rowling and Donald Trump, have weighed in on the controversy, with some questioning the fairness of the IOC’s decision. However, supporters of Khelif have come out in her defense, highlighting her talent and hard work. Algeria’s minister of youth and sports denounced attacks on Khelif’s reputation, emphasizing her right to compete in the Olympics like any other athlete.
The National Black Justice Collective and nonbinary Olympic American runner Nikki Hiltz have criticized the transphobia aimed at Khelif, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and condemning the hate speech and aggression directed at the boxer. Khelif’s next match is against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, while Yu-ting is set to face Bulgaria’s Svetlana Kamenova Staneva.
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