Paris 2024 Olympics, the controversy over the two boxers admitted to the women's matches

The boxers Lin Yu‑ting and Imane Khelif (the latter challenged Angela Carini) had been excluded in the past and admitted this time to the women's matches.

• The IOC has given its green light to the presence of two athletes who had not passed gender tests in women's boxing
• The same two athletes had been excluded from the 2023 World Boxing Championships
• One of the two athletes, the Algerian Imane Khelif, challenged the Italian Angela Carini

Last updated August 1st at 1.22pm

The match between the Algerian boxer lasted only a few seconds Imane Khelif and Italian Angela Carini.There was a lot of discussion about this match, perhaps too much.After the initial gong, Khelif hit Carini who immediately stopped and then retreated after receiving another powerful blow to the nose:“I took a very strong blow and I said enough”, the Italian boxer commented at the end of the match.

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The controversy over Imane Khelif (why she faces an Italian)

The International Olympic Committee, the IOC, had admitted two boxers – Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu‑ting from Taiwan – to women's boxing matches at the Paris Olympics.This was a decision of particular importance right from the start, since in 2023 they had been prevented from participating in the World Cup because they had not passed the gender tests.In other words, they were not judged to be women in all respects.For this reason, the IOC's choice had raised doubts and controversies on the part of those who wondered why two diametrically opposed decisions.

However, an explanation lies in the regulations of the Iba, the International Boxing Federation, which are different from the parameters used by the IOC:for this reason the two athletes got the green light for the Olympics.Amplifying the echo in Italy is the fact that Khelif challenged the Italian Angela Carini, so much so that both Coni, with an official statement, and the government, through the Minister for Sport Andrea Abodi, intervened on the matter.

The CIO's explanation of the decision

The IOC, through its spokesperson Mark Adams, stated that the two athletes, like all the others competing in the female categories, respect all the regulatory parameters, adding that according to "their passports, they are women in all respects”.Adams added that the issue of the presence of these athletes in the female categories is very complex and exposed to different interpretations, and underlined how in his opinion it is right for the individual international federations to do the regulations.

In the specific case of boxing, however, it must be said that the world federation, the IBA, it is not currently recognized by the IOC due to several allegations of corruption and of alleged pro-Putian attitudes is part of its president, Umar Kremlev, which instead in the 2023 world championship had excluded the two athletes because some tests had shown the presence of XY chromosomes, which determine male sex.For the discipline, the IOC has created a specific federation, the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, which has less rigid regulations on the topic and therefore allows your athletes to compete regularly in the categories 66 and 57 kilograms.

The reaction of the Italian minister Andrea Abodi 

In its official note, the CONI - although not citing the case specifically - explains that it has "activated with the International Olympic Committee to ensure that the rights of all male and female athletes comply with the Olympic Charter and health regulations".However, the stance of the government is tougher government Italian:the minister Abodi he explained that he finds it “hardly understandable that there is no alignment in the parameters of minimum hormonal values at an international level, which therefore includes European, World Cup and Olympics.In the event that represents the highest values ​​of sport, safety must be guaranteed safety of male and female athletes, and respect forfair competition from a competitive point of view.Tomorrow, it won't be like this for Angela Carini."

Among athletes, however, the Australian boxer's comment stands out Caitlin Parker, who called the decision to allow Khelif and Lin to take part in the competition “very dangerous”.“I have to adapt to what the IOC has decided, so tomorrow I will go to the ring and give it my all”, was the comment of the Italian boxer cute.For those making the decision in Paris, however, the benchmark was the fact that both Khelif and Lin are considered women in every respect.