Algerian boxer Imane Khalif will be competing for a gold medal in the final of the women’s 66 kg boxing at the ongoing Paris Olympics. Khalif, who was previously banned from competing in world championships due to failures in testosterone and gender eligibility tests, achieved a controversial win over Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds after her opponent quit in the opening round.
In the semifinals, she defeated Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand by a 5-0 score via points. Imane will be battling China’s Yang Liu for the top prize on August 10.
The win over Carini drew adverse comments from prominent figures such as JK Rowling and Elon Musk, who took to social media questioning Khalif’s gender. Just before her gold medal bout at the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s Championships held in New Delhi last year, Khalif was disqualified for failing to meet IBA’s eligibility criteria due to elevated testosterone levels, according to ESPN.
However, she was allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) task force, which is overseeing the last two Olympic boxing events due to the IBA being banned from the Olympics for governance issues, lack of financial transparency, and instances of corruption in judging and refereeing.
The IOC defended Khalif and Lin Yu-ting, another boxer under scrutiny due to an unspecified eligibility requirement in a biochemical test, stating their right to compete in the Olympics. In a statement on Thursday, the IOC said, “All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passports.”
“These rules also applied during the qualification period, including the boxing tournaments of the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games, 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 IOC statement read.
The IOC added that the athletes in question had been subject to an arbitrary decision by the International Boxing Association (IBA) earlier. “We have seen reports with misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. These athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, IBA World Championships, and IBA-sanctioned tournaments. These two athletes were victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were disqualified without due process,” the IOC said.
“According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterward and subsequently requested that a procedure be established for similar cases in the future. The minutes also indicate that the IBA should ‘establish a clear procedure on gender testing.’ The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was made without proper procedure—especially considering that these athletes had been competing at a top level for many years. Such an approach is contrary to good governance,” the IOC added.
The IOC emphasized its commitment to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games, as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics, and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights. The IOC also expressed sadness over the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving.
(With ANI Inputs)
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