Caitlyn Jenner has criticised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and said it should be ashamed of itself for allowing Imane Khelif to compete against women at the 2024 Paris Olympics after the Algerian boxer failed a gender test last year.
On Thursday, Khelif ran into trouble in France after dominating the women’s 66kg division by beating Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds.
After the match, Carini said he had no choice but to retire as he claimed he was fighting for his life in the ring against Khelif, who was banned from competing in the 2023 World Championships after tests revealed he had XY male chromosomes.
IOC President Thomas Bach has come out in strong defence of Khelif’s inclusion in women’s sports as critics have attacked the 25-year-old for competing at the Games.
And Jenner – a 1976 men’s decathlon gold medallist like Bruce Jenner – says Khelif’s continued participation in Olympic events has “hurt” the competition.
Caitlyn Jenner didn’t hold back in front of the IOC when speaking about the future of women’s sport
She said the inclusion of Imane Khelif in the women’s boxing division was only “hurting” the competition in Paris.
“This issue has really hurt the Olympics… Everyone is talking about it,” Jenner told Fox News on Friday, adding that the ordeal has taken away from what athletes have accomplished this summer so far.
‘It is a disgrace for the IOC to not protect the integrity of women’s sports, and it is a disgrace for the IOC to not protect the safety of women’s sports.’
Khelif is next scheduled to fight Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
On Saturday he defeated Luca Anna Hamori of Hungary by a score of 5-0.
The IOC defended Khelif’s eligibility ahead of her round of 16 showdown this weekend, as her compatriot Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan has also been the subject of controversy for the same reasons as Khelif.
Lin Yu-Ting also fell into trouble, like Khelif, because she was born with the XY chromosome.
Khelif is just two medals away from winning gold after defeating Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday
“These two athletes were victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the (International Boxing Association),” the IOC said of the 2023 bout between Khelif and Taiwanese Lin Yu-Ting.
‘Towards the end of the 2023 IBA World Championships, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.’
Meanwhile, Australian Skye Nicholson, who turned professional after Tokyo, called Carini’s actions a “publicity stunt.”
“They were born women,” he said of Khelif and Yu-Ting, with whom he has sparred. “They were born with an XY chromosome, which is the male chromosome, but they were born with female bodies, they have the physical attributes of a woman.
“They are not naturally born men who have decided to call themselves women or identify as women in order to fight against women.”