The International Olympic Committee has been forced to protect two boxers from the women's competition at the Paris Games who failed gender tests last year.
A storm erupted in the French capital after historic footage of a side-by-side boxing match raised concerns about the physical benefits the two athletes could have gained from the competition. this year.
Algeria's Imane Khelif will compete on Friday in the women's under-66kg category, while Taiwan's Lin Yu Ting will make her debut in the under-57kg category on Saturday.
Both fighters are set to compete at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but it wasn't until last year that they failed to qualify for the world championships.
The IOC has announced that the organization will not intervene to remove fighters from competition.
The issue has become a divisive topic in Paris. The Matildas' 6-5 win over Zambia on Tuesday morning (AEST) also made international headlines thanks to the performance of striker Racheal Kudananji, who scored two goals in the Aussies.
Kudananji has been banned from the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations after a “gender normality test” for exceeding natural testosterone levels. as allowed by the Confederation of African Football.
The IOC's move was met with angry reactions from outspoken women's rights groups, including former US swimmer Riley Gaines.
Gaines, a former college swimmer and so-called “clean sport” campaigner, sparked controversy with comments he made in response to the viral video – which has more than the 4.7 million – which shows Khelif winning the previous love battle in 2022. .
Gaines sparked controversy with his controversial comments, in which he referred to Khelif as a “male boxer” and said the Olympics “glorify punching women in the face.”
“Imagine training your whole life, getting good enough to get a spot on the Olympic team, hoping to win an Olympic medal… “That's the sad reality for these women.”
The IOC has been unmoved by the swirling controversy.
“Everyone competing in the women's category follows the requirements,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters.
“They are women in their passports and it says that's the case, and they are women.
“These athletes have competed many times before over the years. They didn't come suddenly.”
The IOC discussed Kundanji's inclusion in the competition. He has been playing international football for Zambia since 2018.
However, Aussie football commentator Lucy Zelic criticized Kudananji's inclusion on Tuesday, taking to Twitter to “talk about the elephant in the room”.
Zelic, who comments on Olympic radio for nine, published: “We have the right to ask questions. We have a right to know why the failed certification test in 2022 was ignored by FIFA in 2023 and is still being ignored by FIFA in 2024.
“The International Olympic Committee's lack of 'strict' rules for gender testing also does little for the credibility of the organization and the sport it competes in.”
Zelic has been an outspoken critic of transgender athletes being allowed to compete in women's sports and argued that it is “scary” to silence those concerns.
Gender equality will continue to be a divisive theme throughout the game — especially when Khelif and Lin enter the ring.
Both Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the World Championships in New Delhi last year after failing to pass the qualification test.
Khelif was disqualified hours before his gold medal bout with “testosterone levels,” according to his profile on the Paris Games information system.
Lin was stripped of his championship bronze medal after failing a “biochemical” test administered by the International Boxing Association (IBA) run by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev.
The IBA was effectively kicked out of the Olympic movement last year after a bitter row between the CIO and the Kremlin, which meant it took over the responsibility for organizing boxing at the Paris Games. the IOC.
Adams said defining eligibility criteria for women's sports is “very difficult” and should be done by the federation.
“Everybody likes to have a single answer, yes or no,” he continued, adding: “The federation needs to make the rules to ensure that there is fairness and also that everyone can participate in what they want. .”
— with AFP
