IBA spars with IOC over eligibility of Olympic boxers who failed gender tests

The International Boxing Association (IBA) fired back at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and maintained its decision to disqualify Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting from its world championship in 2023 was "justified" based on tests that year and in 2022.

The IBA said World Boxing, which was created to become the sport’s governing body following its separation from the IOC, reinforced ineligible athletes to compete in their very own recently announced events. Khelif was able to compete in two World Boxing events earlier this year.

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"We absolutely do not understand why any organization would put a boxer at risk with what could bring a potential serious injury within the ‘Field of Play’ (FOP). The main role of the referee in the ring is to manage the boxer’s safety at all times. How is this reasonably practicable when a boxer fails to meet the eligibility criteria to compete?" the IBA said.

"The IBA will never support any boxing bouts between the genders, as the organization puts the safety and well-being of our athletes first. We are protecting our women and their rights to compete in the ring against equal rivals, and we will defend and support them in all instances; their hopes and dreams must never be taken away by organizations unwilling to do the right thing under difficult circumstances.

"IBA stands by its position and will continue to support all athletes within the spirit of the rules."

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At the time of Khelif’s disqualification, IBA President Umar Kremlev said, "Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. 

"According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition."

The IOC maintained its stance on allowing Khelif to compete in the Olympic Games despite the outrage Thursday’s match against Angela Carini caused and Lin’s ability to compete on Friday.

"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA," the IOC said. "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."

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