The IOC issued a statement on Thursday evening in defense of boxer Imane Khelif, who has been at the heart of a controversy since her express victory in a bout at the Olympic Games. She has been the victim of cyber-harassment and criticism of her femininity.
The IOC raised its voice on Thursday in response to the controversy surrounding boxer Imane Khelif‘s participation in the Paris Games. On Thursday, the IOC issued a lengthy statement in support of the Algerian boxer, who has been the victim of cyberbullying in recent hours following her express victory over Italy’s Angela Carini.
« Everyone has the right to practice sport without discrimination … All athletes participating in the Paris Games boxing tournament abide by the competition eligibility and registration rules, as well as all applicable medical rules established by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit. As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, athletes’ gender and age are based on their passport.»
The IOC explained in its press release
Femininity in question
The IOC’s response comes amid criticism of the potentially high testosterone levels and femininity of two boxers, Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting. Declared ineligible at the last World Championships, they were cleared to compete in the Olympic Games by the IOC on Tuesday.
« We’ve caught wind of misleading information about two female athletes (Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting) competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Both athletes have been competing for many years in international boxing competitions in the women’s category, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the International Boxing Federation (IBA) World Championships and IBA-approved tournaments»
Continues the press release.
Joint Paris 2024 Boxing Unit/IOC Statementhttps://t.co/22yVzxFuLd pic.twitter.com/fZvgsW8OOi
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) August 1, 2024
False information about the femininity of these boxers was particularly rife on Thursday, after Italian Angela Carini’s express withdrawal against Imane Khelif in the under 66 kg category.
The Algerian, who has 37 career victories (including only 5 by knockout) and 9 defeats to her name, is due to fight her next bout on Saturday against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hun Hamori.
