International Boxing Association Gender Test Sparks Controversy

International Boxing Association (IBA) faced controversy at a chaotic news conference on Monday over an eligibility dispute that overshadowed boxing at the 2024 Olympics. The IBA disqualified Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan from the 2023 Women’s World Championships over gender eligibility concerns, but both fighters are guaranteed bronze medals in the women’s competition. The IBA claimed the fighters failed gender tests, raising questions about the testing process and criteria.

During the news conference, marred by technical issues and lasting over 100 minutes, IBA President Umar Kremlev and Chief Executive Chris Roberts provided conflicting explanations. Roberts stated that the fighters underwent gender tests at the 2022 World Championships in Istanbul, received inconclusive results and later deemed them ineligible based on chromosome tests. He clarified that these tests aimed to determine sex chromosomes. However, Kremlev suggested that the tests measured testosterone levels, a hormone associated with muscle mass.

He criticized IOC President Thomas Bach and insisted that boxers should prove their gender themselves. The International Boxing Association (IBA) claimed that accredited World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) labs conducted the tests but WADA confirmed that it does not oversee gender tests. The IOC defended Khelif and Lin, affirming their eligibility as their passports list them as female. The IOC criticized the IBA’s decision as arbitrary and lacking proper procedure. Khelif and her team have not responded, although Khelif affirmed her identity as female.

Neither Lin nor the Taiwanese Olympic Committee has commented. BBC Sport’s Ade Adedoyin interviewed Chris Roberts, who confirmed that tests from 2022 and 2023 were similar but did not clarify the discrepancies between the IBA’s and Kremlev’s statements about the tests.