Caster Semenya, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, has weighed in on the boxing gender controversy at the Paris Olympics involving Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, taking aim at the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Khelif, from Algeria, and Lin, from Taiwan, are both guaranteed medals in their respective weight classes. However, they have found themselves at the center of a row over their involvement after being disqualified from the 2023 World Championships for failing a gender eligibility test conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA).
The IOC has raised doubts over the results, and the IBA is no longer the governing body for amateur boxing due to allegations of corruption and governance problems.
Semenya, who also has differences in sex development (DSD), has criticized the IOC for their handling of the situation. “Imane is a great boxer, and people always criticize when someone is doing well. People always talk then. When she wasn’t winning, everyone was quiet,” she told SportsBoom.
Semenya believes the IOC’s policy and constitution should not contradict each other. “Sport is for all people, and the constitution says no to discrimination. But the minute they allowed women to be disgraced, it confuses us. If sport is for all, then why does the big governing body allow this sort of thing to happen? They should stand their ground and lead by example. It’s about quality leadership that safeguards, protects, and respects women.”
As a DSD athlete, Semenya has been locked in legal battles with World Athletics since the organization proposed introducing new rules that restrict testosterone levels in female athletes competing in certain track events. She felt the rules “targeted me specifically” and refused to take testosterone-suppressing medication.
Semenya proceeded to complain about the side effects of lowering her testosterone.
“You are not happy within; you are never happy. It makes you feel sick, nauseous. You have panic attacks. It starts creating a little bit of blood clots in your system,” Semenya says.
“Your stomach is burning. You eat a lot. You can’t sleep. You sweat a lot each and every day.
“It’s like digging a hole that you can never fill up. You know, it’s like you measure a casket and you get in and then you bury yourself. It was not easy. It was a hard time.”
“World Athletics has over a decade of research, directly from DSD athletes in our own sport, that show high testosterone levels do provide an unfair advantage in the female category,” World Athletics said.
“If we don’t protect the female category, then women and young girls will not choose sport.”
