Two Olympic boxers, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, remain at the heart of a heated debate over participation in the Paris 2024 Games, but neither is a Mike Tyson.
Khelif and Yu-Ting made the Quarter-Finals after a storm brewed over previous failures of unspecified gender tests in 2023. Khelif defeated Angela Carini, who walked out of their fight before apologizing for doing so. At the same time, Yu-Ting won her bout dominantly 5-0.
Carini’s apology came after the facts of the argument came to light. They state that both athletes were born female and have undertaken no surgery to become more female. It’s apparent that Khelif and Yu-Ting suffer from DSD [Disorders of sex development] and display more male traits than the average female.
That part of the disagreement is indisputable. However, the bone of contention comes from the power, strength, and bone density that comes with the disorder. Still, anyone stating that competing against a woman is highly dangerous only needs to look at both fighters’ records.
Khelif is 37-9 with five knockouts. Meanwhile, Yu-Ting has only one stoppage in 41 bouts. Those facts completely negate the debate over whether their opponents are in any serious danger. As one commenter stated on social media, they are not exactly Mike Tyson or Deontay Wilder steamrolling everyone in their path. Despite all this being evident with minimal research, the hysteria of some statements that boxers could be killed has gone into the realm of lunacy.
Yes, there’s a massive problem with DSD and where those athletes fit into sport, but the gender tests already in place are there to protect the participants. This assures there are no transgender boxers at Paris 2024. But that’s not the only fear at play. It’s where the future line will be drawn when allowing DSD athletes to compete against women born without the disorder.
Another startling revelation has raised eyebrows regarding the Paris Boxing Unit’s decision to allow Khelif and Yu-Ting into the tournament, and that’s the process of entry. An IOC statement revealed that only a passport is considered when ratifying a boxer’s eligibility.
The IOC said, “As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport. These rules also applied during the qualification period, including the boxing tournaments of the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games, the ad hoc 2023 African qualifying tournament in Dakar (SEN) and two world qualifying tournaments held in Busto Arsizio (ITA) and Bangkok (THA) in 2024, which involved a total of 1,471 different boxers from 172 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the Boxing Refugee Team and Individual Neutral Athletes, and featured over 2,000 qualification bouts.
“The PBU used the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules as a baseline to develop its regulations for Paris 2024. This minimized the impact on athletes’ preparations and guaranteed consistency between the Olympic Games.
“These Tokyo 2020 rules were based on the post-Rio 2016 rules, which were in place before the suspension of the boxing International Federation by the IOC in 2019 and the subsequent withdrawal of its recognition in 2023.”
Boxing promoter Lou DiBella wasn’t happy with the process, especially given what has transpired all week.
DiBella stated, “Help me here. Is this [passport eligibility] protective of female athletes’ health and safety? Is this the IOC’s standard regarding gender identification? But is this not insane for the Olympic Games? Shocking!”
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
