In light of IOC calling Imane Khelif & Lin Yu-ting victims of 'arbitrary decision' by IBA, a look at long-running tussle between the 2 organizations

By Marie Amani

Modified Aug 02, 2024 15:40 GMT

The Paris Olympics 2024 Boxing Unit and International Olympic Committee have released a joint statement following the abbreviated match between Italy’s Angela Carini and Algeria’s Imane Khelif. The women’s welterweight game was called off after Carini threw in the towel and the win was given to Khelif.

The move caused an uproar among the masses, many of whom slammed the Paris Olympics organizers for allowing Imane Khelif in the women’s category. According to the Independent, Imane Khelif failed a gender eligibility test and was forced to withdraw from the 2023 women’s World Championships in New Delhi together with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting.

“Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition," IBA president Umar Kremlev said at the time.

The IBA, however, was suspended by the IOC in 2023 over allegations of financial and ethical irregularities. This was in furtherance to the concerns raised by the IOC back in 2021.

The Olympics boxing events, therefore, are being governed by the IOC rather than the IBA.

Addressing the matter related to Imane Khelif, the Paris Olympics Boxing Unit and IOC released a joint statement on Thursday claiming that Khelif and Yu-ting were victims of the individual interests of the IBA.

The statement added that the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules were a blueprint for developing the Paris Olympics 2024 rules. According to NBC Sports Chicago, the IOC is currently in charge of boxing at the Paris Olympics since the IBA was banned due to governance issues and corruption.

"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," the IOC stated.

"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 added.

The IOC further noted that according to the minutes from IBA’s website, Secretary General and CEO Chris Roberts disqualified the two athletes without a clear outline of how IBA conducts its gender tests.

The Paris Olympics Boxing Unit and IOC concluded that the procedure to ban the two athletes did not follow the proper channels. IOC defended the athletes, noting that they had competed in many global championships as women for many years.

"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"," IOC said.

"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," the statement added.

The IOC added that their main aim was to protect athletes competing at the Paris Olympics, before sending a stark warning to the national boxing federations to ensure they develop a new global federation ahead of the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

"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," the statement concluded.

"I'm here for the gold" - Imane Khelif unbothered by online row after winning controversial bout against Angela Carini

Imane Khelif unbothered about online row after winning controversial bout against Angela Carini- Source: Getty

Imane Khelif became the center of attention following her controversial welterweight match against Italian boxer Angela Carini.

46 seconds into the match, Carini pulled out and Imane Khelif was awarded the win, a move that caused a lot of criticism from the masses. However, Khelif remains focused on her main goal, firing warning shots at her opponents.

As quoted by the Mirror, Imane Khelif said:

"I'm here for the gold—I fight everybody."

Imane Khelif now shifts focus to her next match scheduled for Saturday, August 3 where she faces off against Anna Luca Hamori.