On Thursday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended its choice to allow two female boxers who carry a male XY chromosome to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting, the double world champion from Taiwan, were previously prohibited by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from competing in the 2023 World Championships because of eligibility regulations that prohibit athletes with male XY chromosomes from participating in women’s competitions.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stuck by their judgement despite the gender controversy, claiming that the two were the targets of “aggression” as a result of the IBA’s “arbitrary decision.”
Both the Taiwanese competitor and the Algerian, who defeated Italian Angela Carini in 46 seconds in their round-of-16 welterweight match, have been authorised to compete in the Summer Olympics.
Last year, the IOC stripped the IBA of its recognition over governance and finance issues. Hence, the Olympic body is running the boxing competition in Paris.
The IOC said in a statement, “These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA,” reported news agency. It added, “According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.”
Netizens fumed at this development, with one user stating, “These Boxing “Women” are Hermaphrodites at the very least! One has XY chromosomes. They were barred from IOC. I know science hard, that be a man [sic].”
Another user posted, “XY chromosomes still mean you’re a male, but the IOC allows men pretending to be women to beat up women in the name of boxing [sic].”
A third user commented, “The International Boxing governing body did the test, IOC chose to ignore that and use his passport that listed him as female.”
A fourth user remarked, “Absolutely wrong to bring a transgender into a woman’s boxing at the Olympics shame on you IOC [sic].”
A fifth user stated, “The IOC has basically said they do not care and are running things how they want, because who cares about fair competition, right [sic]?”
