In a highly anticipated press conference held in Paris, the International Boxing Association (IBA) addressed the ongoing issues surrounding two boxers who failed the gender test, Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan, who competed in the 2022 Women’s World Championships in Istanbul.
The concerns arose from “blood tests taken by a lab known as System Tick Laboratory in Istanbul” on May 17, 2022, the results of which were issued on May 24th. According to the IBA, the results were “inconsistent,” prompting further investigation.
To ensure a fair and transparent process, the IBA required “two tests, not one, but two tests, time gap between, and then to the next World Championships which was taking place in India.” This decision was made to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of the boxers’ eligibility.
‘The second tests confirmed the first tests,’ Kremlev said. ‘If people have doubts, refer to them. They can make their own tests.’
‘Our sport is dangerous, where there is an unfair advantage people could die,’ Gabriel Martelli said.
‘If for any reason one of the participants has extra power, then you can understand how dangerous this can be.’
During the 2023 Female World Championships held in India from March 15th to 26th, both Khelif and Lin were asked to take an additional blood test on March 17th. The results, which came through on March 23rd, “demonstrated the chromosomes that we refer to within the technical competition rules that make both boxers ineligible.”
Consequently, the IBA’s Board of Directors ratified the decision to remove both boxers from the championships on March 26th. IBA President, Mr. Yaralimpos, sent a letter to the boxers, which included “an attached referral to the blood tests that were taken.”
While the IBA was unable to disclose the actual blood test results due to “non-disclosure and medical inconfidence,” they did provide the front cover copies with the annexes, along with the signatures of both boxers, indicating they had received the documents.
The Chinese Taipei boxer, Lin Yu-Ting, did not appeal the decision, making it “legally binding.” However, Imane Khelif of Algeria challenged the decision through the Court of Arbitration and Sport (CAS) on April 14th, 2023. The IBA covered the majority of the costs for the appeal, but Khelif was expected to pay a portion, which she did not. As a result, on July 27th, 2023, CAS issued a termination order, and “no further action [was] to be taken.”
Recap of the IBA press conference:
- The press conference was called to address concerns about boxers Iman Khaliif and Lin Yu-Ting, who were disqualified from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships.
- IBA Secretary General Chris Roberts outlined the timeline:
- Initial concerns arose at the 2022 World Championships in Istanbul
- Blood tests were conducted on four boxers, with two showing “abnormal” results
- Further tests were done at the 2023 Championships in India
- Both Khaliif and Lin were disqualified based on these test results
- The IBA claimed they informed the IOC about these issues in 2023, contradicting the IOC’s statement that they were unaware.
- Dr. Yiannis Philippou, a gynecologist and European Boxing Confederation president, emphasized the need to “protect” women’s categories in sport based on biological criteria.
- The IBA officials stated that they didn’t intend to raise these issues at the current Olympics, but the situation came to light after the bout between Khaliif and Italian boxer.
- There were questions about the timing of the disqualifications and why the boxers were allowed to compete after the initial tests in 2022.
- The IBA faced criticism about potential discrimination and the handling of sensitive medical information.
- IBA President Umar Kremlev joined remotely but technical issues prevented his full participation.
- The press conference was marked by tense exchanges between journalists and IBA officials, with questions about the organization’s credibility and motivations.
- The IBA maintained that their actions were based on their technical rules and were intended to ensure fair competition and boxer safety.
Both athletes are set to compete in their semi-final bouts of the Olympic games.
