- Khelif and Lin Yu-ting were banned from the world championships last year.
- The IOC has questioned the timing of the IBA’s decision
- Khelif secured a medal after beating Hamori by unanimous decision
The head of the International Boxing Association has called competition at the Paris Games “truly terrifying” and said the decision to allow gender-division boxer Imane Khelif to take part is “destroying women’s sports”.
Khelif defiantly declared “I am a woman” after securing a medal with a unanimous decision victory over Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday.
The Algerian welterweight, one of two athletes at the centre of an Olympic storm, was banned from last year’s world championships by the Russian-led IBA after claiming she failed a gender test.
Umar Kremlev, who heads the body, criticised the decision to allow Lin Yu-ting, a 25-year-old wrestler from Chinese Taipei, to compete, saying her participation was detrimental to “women’s sports”.
“It’s sad when we shout to the whole world that we are in favour of gender equality, of protecting women, and then they simply destroy women’s sport,” she said. he told Sky News.
Algerian welterweight Imane Khelif (right) claimed victory on Saturday against Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori
The 25-year-old is one of two athletes at the centre of the Olympic storm at the Paris Games.
IBA head Umar Kremlev believes the involvement of Khelif and Chinese Taipei fighter Lin Yu-ting is “destroying women’s sport”
“We cannot allow this to happen. If we keep quiet now, it will become normal later. That is why our relationship with the IOC is deteriorating: because they do not protect the athletes, and we do protect them.”
On Friday, the Olympic Committee rejected the IBA’s decision, saying the two athletes were “victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision.”
“Towards the end of the 2023 IBA World Championships, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process,” the IOC said in a statement.
‘According to the IBA minutes available on its website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.’
Some sports have limited the levels of testosterone allowed for athletes competing in female competitions, while others prohibit participation by anyone who has gone through male puberty.
Differences in sexual disorders are a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones, and reproductive organs.
Some people with DSD are raised as women but have XY sex chromosomes and blood testosterone levels within the male range.
The IOC said eligibility rules were based on those for the 2021 Tokyo Games and could not be changed during a competition.
The governing body added: “The IOC is saddened by the mistreatment that the two athletes are currently receiving. Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.”
Lin Yu-Ting triumphed at the Asian Games last year and secured a spot in her second Olympics.
Khelif’s first fight in Paris lasted just 46 seconds when Italy’s Angela Carini tearfully quit, saying she feared for her life.
But on Saturday, the tears were hers after a dominant performance that saw her cheered by hundreds of raucous Algerians and then congratulated by the country’s president, who said she had “honoured Algeria, Algerian women and Algerian boxing”.
Khelif will face Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in Tuesday’s semi-final. If she wins, she will fight for gold on Friday.