The two female boxers at the heart of a gender dispute at the Paris Olympics will stay in the competition for as long as they keep winning because they meet all eligibility criteria, the International Olympic Committee said yesterday.
The IOC is in charge of holding the boxing tournament in Paris after stripping recognition of the International Boxing Association last year following failure to implement governance and finance reforms.
Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s double world champion, Lin Yu-ting, who have reached the semi-finals of their respective weight divisions, were cleared to compete at the Games despite having been disqualified during the 2023 World Championships.
The IBA had said at the time they had failed a gender eligibility test and insist they should not be competing in Paris.
“These athletes have been competing in senior competitions for six years with no issues,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams told a press conference. “These women were eligible for this contest, remain eligible for this contest and compete in this contest”.
Both boxers have already secured at least a bronze medal by reaching the last four stage. Khelif, whose first round fight against Angela Carini lasted 46 seconds before the Italian opted to stop after soaking up a string of powerful punches, faces Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng on Tuesday.
Lin takes on Turkey’s Esra Kahraman Yildiz a day later.
