Olympics chiefs slam ‘aggression’ directed at boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has defended boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting amid a row over their participation at Paris 2024, saying the “aggression” they are facing is down to a controversial earlier decision made by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting have been thrust into the spotlight at the Paris Games over a row about their eligibility – despite the fact they have met all the relevant criteria to compete in the women’s boxing event.

Khelif competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but she and Lin were disqualified from last year’s World Championships after failing to meet eligibility criteria. No further details were given for the decision at the time.

The online storm only intensified on Thursday (2 August) when Italy’s Angela Carini threw in the towel just 46 seconds into her welterweight bout against Khelif.

In response to the continuing row, the IOC released a statement in which organisers said everyone has “the right to practice sport without discrimination” and the outcry the pair are facing is because of an “arbitrary decision” by the IBA.

All boxers “comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU)” and, as with previous Olympics, “the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport”, the statement goes on to say.

“These rules also applied during the qualification period, including the boxing tournaments of the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games, the ad hoc 2023 African qualifying tournament in Dakar and two world qualifying tournaments… in 2024, which involved a total of 1,471 different boxers from 172 national Olympic committees, the Boxing Refugee Team and individual neutral athletes, and featured over 2,000 qualification bouts.”

The PBU used the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules as a “baseline to develop its regulations for Paris 2024” and this was done to “minimise the impact on athletes’ preparations and guarantee consistency between Olympic Games”, the statement continues.

“These Tokyo 2020 rules were based on the post-Rio 2016 rules, which were in place before the suspension of the Boxing International Federation by the IOC in 2019 and the subsequent withdrawal of its recognition in 2023.

“We have seen in reports, misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

“The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.

“These athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.”

According to IBA minutes, available on the body’s website, the decision was “initially taken solely by the IBA secretary general and [chief executive]”, the IOC claims, “and the IBA board only ratified it afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA regulations”.

The IOC goes on to say: “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years. Such an approach is contrary to good governance.

“Eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competition, and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence.”

The IOC is “committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights” and is “saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving”.

The organisers conclude: “The IBA’s recognition was withdrawn by the IOC in 2023 following its suspension in 2019. The withdrawal of recognition was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. See the IOC’s statement following the ruling.

“The IOC has made it clear that it needs national boxing federations to reach a consensus around a new international federation in order for boxing to be included on the sports programme of the Olympic Games [Los Angeles] 28.”

The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) has continued to support their boxer.

“[The] COA strongly condemns the unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets,” they said. “Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics.

“The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion.”

Taiwan’s former president Tsai Ing-wen, said the nation should “cheer for Lin Yu-ting together”.

Pan Men-an, the secretary-general for Taiwan’s Presidential Office, also came out in support of the boxer, saying it was wrong for anyone to be “subjected to humiliation, insults and verbal bullying just because of your appearance and a controversial verdict in the past”.