Angry boxing union delivers bizarre spectacle full of contradictions
A heated gender debate has erupted around boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yuting at the Olympic Games. The controversial International Boxing Association (IBA) has now convened a press conference in Paris, putting itself under pressure.
In a bizarre spectacle full of contradictions, the controversial and suspended International Boxing Association (IBA) has poured more fuel on the fire of the intense gender debate surrounding two boxers at the Olympic Games, raising more questions than answers. "We have scientific tests that show they are male," claimed IBA President Umar Kremlev during a media round in Paris. These tests showed "very high testosterone levels," but he couldn't say "whether they are transgender cases or not."
Ioannis Filippatos, former chairman of the IBA's medical committee, explained: "The problem is that we have two blood tests with a male karyotype. That's the lab's response." The IBA cannot disclose these results, added IBA Secretary General Chris Roberts. "The IOC has received all this information about the tests. The interesting situation here is that the IOC has done nothing with it." Even if such a test shows XY chromosomes, it does not automatically mean that a person is male. There are also women with XY chromosomes.
In a statement last week, the IBA claimed that no testosterone tests had been conducted on Algerian Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yuting. Both boxers were excluded from IBA competitions in 2023 but are eligible to compete in Paris because the IOC is again organizing the boxing tournament. Khelif and Lin have both secured a medal by reaching the semifinals.
"A provocation by Thomas Bach"
"The content and organization of the IBA press conference say everything you need to know about this organization and its credibility," the IOC later said. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams had previously said about the IBA's officials: "These people are only credible in their own minds." Regarding the letter with information about the tests, Adams said the International Olympic Committee had not dealt with the scientific standards of the analysis because it was not a legitimate source. The IOC does not recognize the IBA and is organizing the boxing tournament at the Olympics again.
The IBA invited media representatives to the Salon des Miroirs in the heart of Paris on Monday at short notice. Around 100 journalists and about two dozen camera teams attended. The event started about an hour and a half late and was marked by technical problems and interruptions from the audience. There were repeated tumultuous scenes.
Kremlev, who is close to the Kremlin, held a 20-minute monologue in Russian, harshly attacking the IOC under President Thomas Bach. "I'm only here to clean up the chaos," said Kremlev, who spoke loudly and impulsively. "I want to defend and protect all boxers." The fact that the IOC did not conduct its own tests after the IBA informed them is "a provocation by Thomas Bach," Kremlev said. He ranted: "We are destroying the sport this way."
"An attack on the human rights of these female athletes"
The IOC believes that the gender indicated in the passport is decisive for admission. IOC spokesperson Adams had listed reasons on Sunday why a gender test is unsound and does not provide a reliable basis. He spoke of an "attack on the human rights of these female athletes." Bach had explained on Saturday that there had "never been any doubt" that Khelif and Lin "are women."
The IOC, as it did three years ago in Tokyo, is responsible for organizing the boxing tournament. This is due to the suspension of the now-disbanded International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2019. The IBA has been criticized for corruption, leadership issues, and unfair competition. However, the current leadership, headed by Kremlev, reported "comprehensive reforms".
In response to the IOC's stance, IBA President Umar Kremlev accused President Thomas Bach of a provocation, claiming that the IOC's refusal to conduct its own tests after being informed by the IBA was an attack on boxers. Furthermore, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has maintained its stance that the gender indicated in the passport is decisive for admission, arguing against the need for additional gender tests, which they view as an attack on the human rights of female athletes. [IOC, IBA]
