Paris Olympics 2024: According to Reuters, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended its decision on Thursday to allow two female boxers with male XY chromosomes to compete in the Paris Olympics.
Previously, the International Boxing Association (IBA) barred Algerian Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s double world champion Lin Yu-ting from competing at the 2023 World Championships due to eligibility criteria prohibiting athletes with male XY chromosomes from competing in women’s competitions.
Despite a gender dispute, the Committee stayed fast in its verdict, claiming that the duo were subjected to “aggression” as a result of an arbitrary choice. The Algerian player, who won her round of 16 welterweight contest against Italian Angela Carini in 46 seconds, and the Taiwanese player, who will fight today, have been cleared to compete in the Summer Olympics.
Last year, the IOC stripped the IBA of its recognition for governance and financial issues. As a result, the Olympic Committee is organizing 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,” according to Reuters. It said, “According to the IBA minutes published on their website, this decision was first decided unilaterally by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.”
Netizens had heated reactions to this development, with one user stating, “These Boxing “Women” are Hermaphrodites at the very least! One possesses XY chromosomes. They were barred from the IOC. I know science is hard, so be a guy.”A separate individual commented: “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.”
A third individual added: “The International Boxing governing body did the test, IOC chose to ignore that and use his passport that listed him as female.” A fourth commenter wrote: “Absolutely wrong to bring a transgender into a woman’s boxing at the Olympics shame on you IOC.” Five users responded: “The IOC has said they do not care and are running things how they want, because who cares about fair competition, right?”
