International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach decried the so-called “hate speech” against two boxers who previously failed gender tests prior to the Paris Olympics.
Algerian Imane Khelif and Taiwanese Lin Yu-Ting were both disqualified from the 2023 International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Championships over what president Umar Kremlev said was a positive test for “XY chromosomes.” The IBA has maintained that Khelif and Lin both have competitive advantages that should preclude them from competing against women.
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International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach attends a regular press conference of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (Sheng Jiapeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
The IOC has pushed back on the IBA’s statements amid a firestorm of criticism against the IOC, Khelif and Lin. Bach said the “hate speech” against the fighters was “totally unacceptable.”
“We will not take part in a politically motivated … cultural war,” Bach said as he tried to tamp down on the scrutiny.
“What is going on in this context in the social media with all this hate speech, with this aggression and abuse, and fueled by this agenda, is totally unacceptable.
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IOC President Thomas Bach attends the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s All-Around Final on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Bach maintained that both Khelif and Lin were women.
“We have two boxers who are born as women, who have been raised as women, who have a passport as a woman and have competed for many years as women,” he said. “Some want to own a definition of who is a woman.”
Khelif and Lin have both competed in the women’s division so far this Olympics.
Khelif defeated Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori and Italy’s Angela Carini on the way to a semifinals appearance and at least a bronze medal.
Lin will fight again on Sunday.
Imane Khelif of Team Algeria looks on against Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary during the Women’s 66kg Quarter-final round match on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at North Paris Arena on August 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
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“Everybody in our world apparently feels obliged to say … anything without really considering the sometimes very complex circumstances,” Bach said. “You will not come to a proper decision if you organize a poll in the social media ‘Do you think this person is a woman or is not a woman?’”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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