Explainer: What’s the controversy about the Olympics women boxing?

News about two alleged transgender athletes participating in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris has sparked diverse viewpoints about gender eligibility rules.

The issue gained more prominence after Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won her opening Olympic bout when her opponent, Italian Angela Carini, quit just 46 seconds into the match.

Carini reportedly broke her nose during the fight, causing her to cry and stop the match.

“I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘enough’ because I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to. I couldn’t finish the match,” Aljazeera quoted Carini to have said.

The second athlete at the center of the controversy is Taiwan’s double world champion Lin Yu-ting, set to compete on Friday, August 2, 2024.

Criticisms and Support

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini expressed his disapproval of the match on social media, leading to criticism and misogynistic harassment.

“Insults and threats for expressing an opinion that I believe is widely shared among Italians: seeing a woman compete in the Olympics against a trans boxer is an unacceptable madness, the result of politically correct hypocrisy,” Salvini said on his X handle.

According to Al Jazeera, author JK Rowling referred to her [Khelif] as a “male” while accusing her of “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered”.

In support of its athlete, the Algerian Olympic and Sports Committee denounced what it describes as the dishonest propaganda and unethical treatment “towards our champion “, Imane Khelif, by certain international media outlets.

British politician Nadia Whittome defended Khelif, stating that she was assigned female at birth.

“She’s spoken about being initially banned from boxing by her dad who said it wasn’t for girls. The attacks on her show that transphobia doesn’t only hurt trans people, but also other women who don’t fit conventional ideas of femininity,” Whittome added on X.

Why the IOC Approved the Athletes

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has faced criticism for approving the athletes’ eligibility tests. But the IOC has jumped to the defense of the two athletes following concerns of gender eligibility, sparking controversy.

At the 2023 World Championships, Lin Yu-ting, a Taiwanese double world champion, won bronze.

She had previously failed gender eligibility examinations before the Olympics due to vague requirements set by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

Imane Khelif faced a similar situation in 2023 when she was disqualified from her gold medal match at the World Championships.

Khelif claimed she was a victim of a conspiracy against Algeria and received support from Algerian fans in Paris.

Fans of Algeria in Paris seem to agree with her notion. In an interview with ITV News one said, “She has really genuine chances to get a gold medal. And it’s a tactic to get her destabilised.” Another emphasized, “She’s an Algerian athlete, a woman. So, we support Imane Khalif”.

The IOC replaced the IBA as the boxing governing body in June of last year, allowing them to oversee the boxing competition in Paris.

The IBA still controls world championships and gender eligibility rules. According to USA Today, IBA President Umar Kremlev confirmed the athletes had “XY Chromosomes,” but the test details were not publicly disclosed.

IOC’s Firm Stance

Despite backlash, the IOC remains firm in its decision and blames the IBA for disqualifying Lin and Khelif in 2023 without due process.

In a statement issued, it said, “These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.”

The IOC emphasized the right to practice sports without discrimination.

“Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination,” it mentioned.