The International Olympic Committee has affirmed that two female boxers involved in a gender dispute will continue to compete in the Paris Olympics as long as they keep winning.

The athletes, Algerian Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, meet all eligibility criteria despite being disqualified from the 2023 World Championships.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams stated, “These athletes have been competing in senior competitions for six years with no issues. These women were eligible for this contest, remain eligible for this contest and compete in this contest.”

IBA’s Gender Tests Deemed “Arbitrary and Illegitimate”

The International Boxing Association claims the boxers failed an eligibility test after undergoing a chromosome test during the 2023 worlds. However, the IOC has rejected these test results as “arbitrary and illegitimate.”

“I cannot tell you if they were credible or not credible (gender tests) because the source from which they came was not credible and the basis for the tests was not credible,” Adams explained.

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Khelif and Lin have secured at least bronze medals by reaching the semi-finals. Khelif’s father, Amar, expressed pride in his daughter and confidence in her ability to win a medal for Algeria.

The IOC, which is overseeing the boxing tournament after stripping the IBA of recognition, is using eligibility rules from the 2016 and 2021 Olympics that do not include gender testing.

This dispute is part of a larger conflict between the IOC and the IBA, with the Olympic body urging national boxing federations to create a new global governing body to ensure the sport’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Read more at Reuters