Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu‑ting of Taiwan both failed gender eligibility tests and were disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships last year in New Delhi. But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) no longer recognizes sanctioning from the International Boxing Association (IBA) as a result of multiple “irregularity issues.”
That series of events cleared the way for Khelif and Yu‑ting, who reportedly returned XY chromosomes in their IBA tests, to compete in the women’s 66kg and 57kg matches this Thursday in Paris, despite pushback from Australian boxing captain Caitlin Parker.
“I don’t agree with them being allowed to compete in sport, especially combat sports,” Parker said (via Daily Mail). “It can be incredibly dangerous. I don’t agree with it. It’s not like I haven’t sparred men before. But you know it can be dangerous for combat sports and it should be seriously looked into.”
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Cris Cyborg, no stranger to the “sweet science,” recently called for IOC to “protect the integrity of women’s sports” and “would not compete” against boxers unable to pass gender eligibility tests.
“Yes, biologically … genetically they are going to have more advantages and in combat sports it can be dangerous,” Parker continued. “I really hope the organizations get their act together so that boxing can continue to be at the Olympics. It’s the oldest Olympic sport. Women’s boxing was only introduced in 2012 and I want to see it for the next 100, 200 years to come.”
Mexico’s Brianda Tamara Cruz fought Khelif in late 2022.
“I don’t think I had ever felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men,” Cruz told The Telegraph. “When I fought her I felt very out of my depth. Her blows hurt me a lot. Thank God that day I got out of the ring safely, and it’s good that they finally realized.”
IOC representatives defended the decision to include Khelif and Yu-ting, who previously competed at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo but did not medal.
“These boxers are entirely eligible, they are women on their passports, they have competed for many years,” spokesperson Mark Adams said during a recent press conference. “I actually think it is not helpful to start stigmatising people who take part in sport like this. They are women who competed in Tokyo. I think we all have a responsibility to dial down this [talk] and not turn it into some kind of witch hunt.”
Former Olympic champion, Claressa Shields, called it a “heartbreaking” decision.
