Boxers Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif allowed to take part in Olympics

Boxers Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif have been cleared to participate in the women’s events at the Olympics. 

Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif were disqualified from last year’s World Championships after failing to meet eligibility criteria.

Lin, who is representing Taiwan, was stripped of third place at the championships in March 2023 after failing a gender eligibility test. Algeria’s Khelif was disqualified in New Delhi for failing a testosterone level test, following information from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

Further details on why the pair were disqualified from the World Championships were not given at the time, but their participation in the Olympics has led to a renewed online furore around the pair.

The IOC said in a statement regarding both of them competing in Paris: “All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations in accordance with rules 1.4 and 3.1 of the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit [PBU].

“The PBU endeavoured to restrict amendments to minimise the impact on athletes’ preparation and guaranteeing consistency between Olympic Games.”

Section 3.1 of the regulations outlines that a medical certificate is required to be “duly stamped and signed by a relevant medical authority within the previous three months for all boxers”.

On Tuesday (30 July), IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: “These athletes have competed many times before for many years, they haven’t just suddenly arrived. They competed in Tokyo [in 2021].

“The federation needs to make the rules to make sure that there is fairness but, at the same time, there is the ability for everyone to take part [who] wants to. That is a difficult balance.

“In the end, the experts for each sport are the people who work in that. If there is a big advantage that clearly is not acceptable, but that needs to be a decision made at that level.”

Welterweight Khelif is due to face Italy’s Angela Carini on Thursday (1 August), while featherweight Lin takes on Marcelat Sakobi or Sitora Turdibekova on Friday (2 August).