Olympic women’s boxing athletes hit with gender controversy

Critics are voicing concerns over the Paris Olympics participation of two women’s boxing athletes, Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan, who previously failed gender eligibility tests

It all started when Algerian boxer Khelif hit her Italian opponent Angela Carini so hard that she quit 46 seconds into their Olympic match.

Khelif, who is not a transgender woman (assigned male at birth and transitioned), has since been the target of online criticism and misinformation about her gender identity.

Prominent public figures including Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk, former President Donald Trump, and others criticized the athletes’ participation, with some falsely labeling them as male competitors.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and sports ministers criticized the Olympic eligibility criteria, calling for uniform gender standards.

In the past
Khelif and Taiwanese athlete Lin identify and have competed as women but were disqualified from the 2023 Women’s World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for allegedly failing to meet “eligibility rules.”

The IBA claims that tests showed they have XY chromosomes, typically associated with males, but did not clarify the exact tests conducted, only stating that they indicated competitive advantages.

But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is defending the athletes’ right to compete in Paris, stating all the competitors’ gender and age are based on passports. It also questioned the IBA’s process and criticized the decisions.

For now, both Khelif and Lin have advanced into their next matches.

The controversy underscores the complexity of gender identity issues in sports. Some female athletes naturally have high testosterone levels, leading to exclusions, as seen with South African runner Caster Semenya. Some US states have banned transgender girls from female sports teams.