They have clarified the rules
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has issued a statement following Imane Khelif’s controversial win at the Olympics yesterday.
Italian boxer Angela Carini faced the Algerian Khelif on Thursday but the match lasted just 46 seconds before Carini abandoned the fight with a suspected broken nose.
She refused to shake her opponents hand and knelt in the ring and cried following the conclusion of the fight.
There was much discussion online about whether the fight should have gone ahead after Khelif failed an unspecified gender eligibility test at the International Boxing Association World Championships in 2023.
The IOC have defended Khelif’s right to box in the Olympics saying: “Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.
“All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU) (please find all applicable rules here). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport.”
The statement went on to clarify that these same rules applied in qualification for the games and were based on and developed from the rules used for the Tokyo games.
It said: “We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. 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.
“According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also say that the IBA should ‘establish a clear procedure on gender testing’.
“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.
“The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving.”
Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan was also disqualified after failing to meet similar eligibility criteria but will also compete at the Olympics.
