4 months ago
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THE boxing chief at the centre of the Olympic gender row claims he is being BLOCKED from releasing test results.
Algerian and Taiwanese boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting’s respective participations in the Paris 2024 Games have caused quite a stir.
AP
Simon Jones
IBABoth women are competing at the Games 18 months after allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
Tests conducted by the Russian-backed IBA are said to have determined the pair tested positive for male XY chromosomes.
As a result of those tests, the duo were disqualified from the Women’s World Championships.
The International Olympic Committee have, however, permitted the women to compete and cast doubt on the reliability of the tests.
The IOC have suggested that Khelif and Yu-Ting have found themselves victims of a “politically motivated cultural war” whipped up by the IBA.
But the IBA – who were formerly known as AIBA and are no longer recognised as a governing body by the IOC – have stood by their tests.
Although they WON’T be releasing the details of the duo’s test results.
During a frantic press conference on Monday, IBA Secretary General Chris Roberts said: “It’s never been our intention to bring any of this about.
“We’re not allowed to give any information, but you can read between the lines what it means.
IOC and Paris 2024 Boxing Unit statement in full
A look at the full statement issued by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit...
Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination.
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 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 was to minimise the impact on athletes’ preparations and guarantee consistency between 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.
We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.
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.
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 afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also say 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 taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.
Such an approach is contrary to good governance.
Eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competition, and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence.
The IOC is committed 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 is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving.
The IBA’s recognition was withdrawn by the IOC in 2023 following its suspension in 2019. The withdrawal of recognition was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). See the IOC’s statement following the ruling.
The IOC has made it clear that it needs National Boxing Federations to reach a consensus around a new International Federation in order for boxing to be included on the sports programme of the Olympic Games LA28.
“We’re not in a position to share any results, but the IOC have seen them.”
Roberts later added: “Yesterday evening and this morning, we’ve received letters from China and Algeria informing us we can’t disclose any info on boxers.
“You can see what that means – again read between the lines.”
The IBA stood by their decision to ban the pair in a defiant statement last week.
They claimed the IOC are intentionally allowing Khelif and Yu-Ting to fight with “competitive advantages” over their opponents.
And IBA President Umar Kremlev has claimed the Olympic governing body is killing women’s boxing.
In a lengthy rant, he said: “Female boxing is being killed.
“And I don’t want that to happen Women’s sport is being destroyed. We cannot allow it.’
Khelif – who is competing in the Under-66kg division – was the subject to erroneous claims she was born a biological man after she forced Italy’s Angela Carini to quit a mere 46 seconds into their bout.
And the 25-year-old issued a defiant statement to her critics on Sunday night.
AlamyShe said: “I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects.
“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people.
“And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”
Khelif broke down in tears after bagging a spot in Tuesday’s semi-finals with a points win over Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori last weekend and defiantly said: “I am a woman.”
Reflecting on her outpouring of emotion, Khelif admitted: “I couldn’t control my nerves.
“‘Because after the media frenzy and after the victory, there was a mix of joy and at the same time, I was greatly affected.
“Because honestly, it wasn’t an easy thing to go through at all. It was something that harms human dignity.”
Khelif will be back in action on Tuesday, taking on Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng for a place in Friday’s gold medal match.
Under-57kg star Yu-Ting, meanwhile, will throw down with Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman.
Piers Morgan has his say
This is a more complicated case than the barrage of shameful transgender scandals which have engulfed women’s sport in recent years.
Khelif reportedly has a condition called Swyer Syndrome which means she has some female reproductive organs but also much higher levels of testosterone than women.
As a result, she has a superior physicality to females, which can be seen by her tall, powerful frame.
In other words, she has an unfair advantage.
And that’s why there’s been such a furious response, led by JK Rowling, Elon Musk, and Martina Navratilova, to the footage of Carini quitting after being smashed in the face.
The obvious, indisputable, medical, and scientific, truth is that someone born with male biology of any kind has an obvious physical advantage over biological females.
That’s why we keep the sexes apart in the Olympics.
Otherwise, women would barely win a single medal.
To pretend otherwise is to be either utterly deluded or wilfully dishonest.
EPA
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