Explained: What is gender eligibility test in boxing and why is Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting's participation in Paris Olympics controversial?

By Riddhi Acharya

Modified Aug 01, 2024 15:32 GMT

A gender eligibility test in boxing is used to verify that athletes are participating in a category that aligns with the gender they were assigned at birth. However, the International Boxing Association Technical and Competition Rulebook (September, 2021) does not lay out any specific rules for gender eligibility, though it does mention that athletes may have to undergo gender tests at competitions.

The discussion of gender eligibility in boxing has been the center of quite some discussion as of late, after Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting were allowed to compete at the Paris Olympics. The two boxers had earlier been disqualified from the 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, after they failed ‘gender eligibility tests’. At the time, IBA president Umar Kremlev said that athletes who “pretended to be women” were excluded based on DNA tests that showed “they have XY chromosomes.”

However, the IBA is not in charge of Olympic boxing, with the IOC banishing the association after their failure to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues. With that, the International Olympic Committee put an ad-hoc association in charge of boxing, which in turn has allowed Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting to compete at the Games.

In defense of letting the Afghani and Taiwanese boxers compete at the Games, IOC spokesperson Marks Addams told media:

“I would just say that everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules. They are women in their passports and it is stated that is the case."

He also added that the issue with the previous tests for the boxers "was not a transgender issue, there's been some misreporting on that in press, these women have been competing as women for many years."

However, the IBA disagreed, saying that Khelif and Lin didn’t meet the gender eligibility in boxing, with an official statement from the association reading:

“The athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential. This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.”

After scrutiny over failing to meet gender eligibility in boxing, Imane Khelif wins first round at Paris Olympics

Meanwhile, Imane Khelif has won her first bout at the Pairs Olympic, and her victory has only furthered the discussion of gender eligibility in boxing. Competing in the women's 66 kg division, Khelif took her first win at the Games in just 46 seconds, after her opponent, Italy's Angela Carini, pulled out after suffering a strong blow to the nose.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu-ting will be opening her campaign at the Games on Friday, August 2 in the women’s 57-kg Round of 16. Both boxers had been a part of the Tokyo Olympics, but failed to medal back then after crashing out in the early rounds.