IOC attacks IBA, denounces gender tests on boxers as 'not legitimate'

The International Olympic Committee said the gender testing of boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting was "so flawed that it is impossible to deal with". IOC spokesman Mark Adams strongly defended Khelif of Algeria and Lin of Chinese Taipei, criticising the sport's governing body, the International Boxing Association, which said the athletes failed unspecified eligibility tests for women's competition.

The IOC, through spokesman Mark Adams, reiterated the organisation's position on the International Boxing Association (IBA) and its handling of the situation, which has sparked a worldwide debate on the eligibility of the two athletes.

Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting are at the centre of controversy, having reached the boxing semi-finals despite previous IBA disqualifications for gender eligibility. It has now emerged that the IBA, which has been repeatedly criticised by the IOC, informed Olympic organisers of its test results on Khelif in June last year. According to the IBA's June 2023 correspondence, tests carried out in India last year and in Turkey in May 2022 concluded that Khelif's DNA consisted of XY chromosomes.

Adams confirmed that the IOC had received a letter from the IBA, first reported by 3 Wire Sports, claiming that Khelif's DNA showed XY chromosomes. However, Adams dismissed these tests as illegitimate and carried out on an ad hoc basis, and criticised the leak of such sensitive information. Adams wouldn't discuss the contents of the letter, but reiterated: "These tests are not legitimate."

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Adams described the tests as "so flawed that it's impossible to engage with them" and defended both Khelif and Lin amid the controversy that has seen them misidentified as transgender or male. "The whole process is flawed," Adams added. "From the conception of the test, to the way the test was shared with us, to the way the tests were made public, it's so flawed that it's impossible to engage with it."

He expressed disdain for those who leaked the private details and highlighted the harassment the athletes had faced. "There was indeed a letter," he said. "I'm not going to discuss the individual intimate details of athletes in public, which I think is quite disgraceful for those who leaked that material. Frankly, it must be terrible to be put in that position. On top of all the social media harassment these athletes have had to endure.”

The IOC originally stated on its online Olympic biographies that the disqualifications were due to elevated testosterone levels, which Adams reiterated on Friday even after those details were removed. Meanwhile, IBA president Umar Kremlev told a Russian news agency that the disqualifications were because "it has been proven that they have XY chromosomes" and not because of elevated testosterone levels.

Adams, however, rejected the legitimacy of the tests, saying there was "no reason for the test" to determine the boxers' sex. "The test, as far as we can see, was done arbitrarily," he said. "The decision that I've seen reported also relates to the competition in which one of the boxers beat a Russian boxer. I don't know if there's any truth in that, but the fact that the decision to take the test was taken on the spot there. I don't know what the purpose of the test was. We managed to get rid of sex testing in the last century.”

During the 2023 World Boxing Championships, Khelif and Lin were unexpectedly tested after suspicions were raised against them. Adams was highly critical of the IBA's actions, stating, "I need hardly say that when we start acting on suspicion against any athlete, whatever it may be, we are going down a very bad road. He insisted that the tests had no legitimate basis and had been carried out in breach of international rules on confidentiality and data sharing.”

The IOC criticised the now-banned IBA, which claimed the boxers had failed unspecified tests to qualify for the women's competition. "There's a whole range of reasons why we don't want to deal with it," Adams said. "Partly confidentiality. Partly medical issues. Partly that there was no basis for the test in the first place. And partly that sharing this data is also very much against the rules, international rules."

While Adams was addressing the media, Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-Ting was facing protests from her opponent after winning a medal at the Paris Olympics. Lin had reached her semi-final with the same ease as Imane Khelif the night before. In response, her Bulgarian opponent Svetlana Staneva dramatically removed her gloves, pointed at herself and made an X with her fingers. Staneva's coach also held up a white piece of paper with the words: "I only want to compete with women, I am XX."

IOC President Thomas Bach underlined the IOC's position and linked the furore to a wider, politically motivated campaign by Russian interests against the IOC and the Paris Olympics. He stressed that both Khelif and Lin are women by birth, upbringing and competitive history, and condemned attempts to redefine their gender identities.

The IBA, which was stripped of its Olympic status last year after a series of controversies and is led by Moscow-born Umar Kremlev, has added fuel to the fire. The IOC's ongoing conflict with the IBA has intensified, with the IBA set to hold a press conference in Paris to present its evidence. Adams, however, reiterated that the IBA's review process lacked legitimacy and was influenced by questionable motives.

As the controversy continues to overshadow the athletes' performances, both Khelif and Lin have advanced to the medal rounds in their respective divisions, further complicating the narrative surrounding their participation. The IOC remains steadfast in its defence of the athletes in the midst of a challenging and highly polarised debate. Adams acknowledged the ongoing debate about protecting women's sport, "not just in boxing", but insisted that "nobody wants to go back to the days of sex testing."