International Ahmet Comert Boxing Tournament - Source: Getty

Why the IOC is at fault for boxing descending into chaos at the Paris Olympics, not the athletes who failed gender tests

Modified Aug 01, 2024 14:49 GMT

The women’s Olympic boxing event descended into chaos on Thursday in Paris following the retirement of Italy’s Angela Carini after 46 seconds. The controversy had nothing to do with her; instead it was about who she was competing against.

Imane Khelif punched her opponent in the face and is suspected of breaking her nose, which has prompted calls from some within the sport for the Algerian to be banned. Not because of the potential injury she inflicted on Carini but due to her failing a gender test last year.

Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after a test concluded that she had an unfair advantage in the sport. Another boxer, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting, also failed this test. However, those procedures were administered by the International Boxing Union (IBU) who have been stripped of their management of the Olympic competition. Therefore Paris has its own governing body and different rules that allow these boxers to participate.

"I find it difficult to understand that there is no alignment in the parameters of minimum hormonal values at an international level, which includes the European and world championships and the Olympics," Italy’s Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said on Wednesday.

"In the event that represents the highest values of sport, the safety of female and male athletes must be guaranteed, as well as respect for fair competition".

In the wake of the controversy, Kelief has been described by some as transgender even though there is no evidence to prove this. Whilst fair sport is essential, it is hard not to feel sorry about the Algerian when looking further into her case.

In a statement by the IBU, they explained that their disqualification of Khelif and Yu-ting was based on ‘recognized testing’ and no testosterone testing took place. The details are confidential but it was approved by the IBA Board of Directors.

“I participated in many tournaments and there was no problem, but when my chances of winning the gold medal increased, they came and prevented me," Khelif said at the time of her disqualification.

The whole situation brings back memories of the ordeal Caster Semenya went through during her career. A dominant force in women’s middle-distance running, she was made to undergo a gender test following her victory at the 2009 World Championships. She later found out that she was born intersex despite being brought up as a girl. Then in 2019, a ruling by World Athletics came into effect that said those who have certain disorders of sex development can only compete in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m if they take medication to suppress their testosterone levels. Semenya subsequently went through a lengthy legal battle by claiming the rule was discriminatory.

"I fight for all women in the world. This young, upcoming generation cannot face the same scrutiny, the samejudgment. They must be treated right," she said in 2023.

It is not known how similar the case of Semenya is to the other two boxers. It is also not publically known what procedure was done on these two boxers last year which prompted IBA president Umar Kremlev to write on Telegram that the duo ‘tried to deceive their colleges and pretend to be women.’ If they didn’t know about their gender abnormalities, how could they be deceiving others?

At the same time, it is also right to question these athletes about their eligibility to compete at these events. However, it should be done respectfully without coming to conclusions when the full facts are still to be established.

The criticism, in fact, should be directed at those running the sport. Earlier this year the International Olympic Committee updated their guidelines on transgender and intersex athletes but it is up to each sport how they create their policies. Therefore there is no standardized system in place. Then there is the debate between making sport fair for everybody and scientific evidence.

The bottom line is the issue of failed gender tests is a complex one that often leads to inaccurate claims without the relevant evidence. There has been plenty said about Khelif who previously participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and other major competitions without questions about her gender. So why is the anger directed at the boxers and not at those running the events?

These boxers should be given more empathy when it comes to one of the most complicated topics in sport. It is time to remember this.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are personal, and not necessarily something that Sportskeeda endorses.