The Olympics is defending its choice to allow Italian female boxer Angela Carini to fight Algerian opponent Imane Khelif, a fighter who was previously disqualified from women’s boxing after a sex-identification test.
“Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit said in a statement.
“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,” the statement adds.
The Olympics said it measures the age and gender of athletes based on their passport in addition to the Paris 2024 boxing regulations. The Paris 2024 medical guidelines for the Olympics do not appear to include an examination to determine whether competitors fighting in the women’s competition possess unfair biological advantages.
An emotional Carini quit the fight 46 seconds into the bout after Khelif punched her twice, and Carini later said it was the hardest she had ever been hit. The fight received worldwide attention because of Khelif’s biological advantages and the debate over whether biological male transgender athletes should be allowed to play in women’s sports.
Khelif was disqualified from the International Boxing Association (IBA) women’s boxing championship last year after the organization determined Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting have biological advantages over female fighters. Neither fighter identifies as transgender.
The IOC disputed the results of the IBA’s test and suggested its decision to disqualify them was arbitrary in nature.
“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,” the statement reads.
“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.”
The IOC’s “Portrayal Guidelines” urge media outlets to avoid “problematic language” like “biologically male” to describe athletes who claim to be transgender, and advises that journalists use gender-neutral terminology.
“A person’s sex category is not assigned based on genetics alone and aspects of a person’s biology can be altered when they pursue gender-affirming medical care,” the “problematic language” section of the guidelines claims.