Written by Mark Baldwin
The Paris Olympics should be a celebration of all that is good in sport. But despite the usual incredible prowess inside the arena, boxing has been marred by controversy in almost every area imaginable, not least in the scorecards where most fights have been filled with cries of looting. Claims that, in some cases, have a lot of validity.
However, most of the headlines focused on Taiwan’s Lin Yu‑ting and Algeria’s Imane Khelif. Most of that noise has been a big issue of misrepresentation and blatantly false and uninformed reporting.
No one is born a man. Both have been competing for women with varying degrees of success. Lin Yu-ting is a two-time world champion and has defeated current WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson (below). Imane Khelif competed at the Tokyo Olympics and claimed a silver medal at the 2022 World Amateur Championships.
September 12, 2023; Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico; Skye Nicolson trains before her fight against Sabrina Maribel Perez on the Matchroom Boxing card on Friday, September 15 at Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutiérrez Moreno in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Mandatory Credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom.
Without going deeply into the medical side of the story, Debate News you have written about Imane Khelif, who simplifies matters and everything else I have read on the subject:
Sources say doctors say the 25-year-old has a disorder of sex development (DSD), which can cause women to have XY chromosomes and the same testosterone levels as men. Women usually have two X chromosomes, while men usually have an X and a Y chromosome.
South African runner Caster Semenya, who won the 800 meters gold at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016, was in a similar situation. Semenya was controversially forced to take drugs such as the birth control pill to lower her testosterone levels.’
The fine details of the ongoing, and now beyond toxic controversy have been reported in depth elsewhere many times. In simple terms, the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified the two boxers from the World Amateur Championships last year after they were found to have failed gender eligibility tests, even though both have entered the competition. But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed them both to compete in Paris.
On Thursday, Mark Adams, a spokesman for the IOC, issued the following statement:
“What I am repeating is that all competitors are complying with the rules of eligibility for the competition, and that is how it should be. This is how these boxers involved in these games have participated, they have participated in past world championships, they have participated in past Olympic Games, they have participated in regional and continental competitions. They comply with the rules of eligibility, and I think that is as it should be and how it can be. “
Both organizations are fighting over the future of boxing in the Olympics. They are different about many things. The fitness of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting makes up part of their many differences.
But what is possible, the worst, at least in the short term. If any issue needs a unified stance based on sound medical science, this is it. Different rules depending on which side of the road you live on. Boxing in a nutshell.
The ongoing disputes between the IOC and the IBA threaten the continued participation of boxing in the Olympic arena. But the closest, the dispute about the right of Khelif and Yu-ting to fight in Paris made a match, any of the players, especially the two fighters in the eye of the storm, there is nothing kind. All parties involved are put in an impossible situation. And one that could and should have been avoided.
Khelif and Yu-ting did nothing wrong. They are not transsexuals, as stated by many who have very large platforms. People who should, obviously, should know better. The two fighters have been victims of unimaginable online shaming and bullying. The scrutiny and abuse they have had to endure in recent days has been disgusting. They are allowed to fight. Show them fight. That’s all they did. The fault, if any, lies with them. If you think they shouldn’t compete in Paris, or anywhere else for that matter, aim your venom in the right place. And arm yourself with the facts.
Amy Broadhurst, who defeated Khelif two years ago, gave her opinion, saying: “I think it’s the way he was born, and that’s beyond his control. The fact that he has been beaten by nine women before says everything.”
Skye Nicolson, who has left both fighters and was beaten by Yu-ting, also spoke out in defense of the two fighters. There were others.
Even Italian boxer Angela Carini, who exited her fight in Paris with Khelif after forty-six seconds, has dramatically changed her stance.
Imane Khelif and Angela Carini exchange punches (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
“All this controversy bothers me. If the IOC said he can fight, I respect that decision. I want to apologize to him and everyone else. I was upset because my Olympics had burned.”
Not all information on the internet is wrong, but sadly, most of it, almost all of it is based on a lack of understanding of the facts. As we’ve seen on the streets of the UK over the past week, mob rule doesn’t make it right. Sometimes, you just need a little moderation.
But sweeping aside all the internet noise and dissension surrounding Khelif and Yu-ting, for me, the problem can be reduced to this:
Should Khelif and Yu-ting be punished for the condition they were born with? But regardless, is it fair to everyone else if they are allowed to fight? Is that really fair competition? Most importantly, is it safe for Khelif and Yu-ting to continue boxing?
Welterweight world champion Natasha Jonas (below) says:
“I don’t blame these fighters at all. But if it’s unfair, for whatever reason, then it’s no longer fair. Athletes have the right to compete on the field of play. The IOC has set a precedent for banning an athlete from a contact sport.
“So, not doing it in a contact game, where the goal is to hurt someone else, I think it’s offensive. It can’t just be one rule for each other. If you set the law, you should be seen in everything, but especially in fighting games.”
Natasha Jonas (Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
Jonas’ key words are, “If it’s not fair, no matter what the reason, it’s not fair.” We just need answers.
As UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Sky News this week, it’s about finding that balance between inclusion, fairness and safety.
As a former runner myself, I remember well Caster Semenya’s athletic career. It was obvious that the South African player has more strength and endurance than his fellow athletes. His results and times tell us that. If that means boxing. We definitely have a problem. We should not be in this situation. Khelif and Yu-ting should not be in this situation either. As Jonas added, “No boxer should be put in a position where they are forced or pressured not to fight.
Khelif and Yu-ting have not appeared in the past few years. They have many ateur works behind them already. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a problem. Studies of horse racing, for example, seem to show that women are more prone to conflict.
Couple that with the obvious dangers of boxing, urgency in solving this is of the utmost importance. Simply put, we need those answers. And quickly. All stakeholders need to be clear on many things.
What we need to know is: do Khelif and Yu-ting pose too much of a risk to their opponents? If the answer is yes, the decision is very easy to make. But that also works the same way if the answer to the above question is no.
But whatever the answer to that question is, the relevant bodies just need to resolve it. This is not someone who just runs the track a few times.
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