Two boxers who were banned from competing against women during a global event last year due to failed gender eligibility tests were deemed eligible to compete against women in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee confirmed on Tuesday that it allowed both Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu‑ting of Taiwan to compete in the women’s division despite being banned from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, per NBC News.
A statement from International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev said DNA tests provided by the boxers “proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports events,” according to The Guardian.
However, the IOC suspended its recognition of the IBA over concerns regarding governance issues and other scandals in previous years, meaning the association does not have regulatory rights over who is allowed to compete.
As a result, the Olympics are being run by the IOC’s Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, which has less strict guidelines and determined that each of the boxers was eligible to compete in the games, according to The Guardian.
The inclusion of these boxers has created controversy regarding their eligibility as many have presented concerns that those facing off against Khelif or Yu‑ting could suffer serious injuries.
Former featherweight world champion Barry McGuigan posted on X, formerly Twitter, to say that it is “shocking that they were actually allowed to get this far” and make it to the Olympics.
Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer who has now become an advocate for women’s rights in sports, posted a video of one fight and took issue with the IOC allowing the two to compete.
“As if the Satanic display at the opening ceremony wasnt enough, the Olympics glorifies men punching women in the face with the intent of knocking them unconscious,” wrote Gaines in a social media post.
“Imane Khelif is 1 of 2 male boxers fighting women at the Olympics. A woman is going to die.”
The video posted by Gaines showed Khelif competing against Mexico’s Brianda Tamara Cruz Sandoval in 2022, with Sandoval saying after the fight that she “felt very out of my depth” while fighting Khelif.
“Her blows hurt me a lot. Thank God that day I got out of the ring safely, and it’s good that they finally realized,” she said, per Fox News.
While neither boxer has competed in the Olympics due to the various rounds of boxing beginning at later dates, both are expected to perform well against the competition and could potentially walk away with medals when the games are complete.
Khelif will be competing in the Women’s 66-kilogram division of the Olympics while Yu‑ting will compete in the Women’s 57-kilogram division.
The first of these matchups is set to take place on Thursday as Khelif takes on Angela Carini from Italy, with Yu‑ting set to match up against Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan on Friday.