Olympics releases clear statement after a boxer born female is repeatedly called a man online

The Olympics has released a statement in response to numerous high profile figures repeatedly calling Algerian boxer Imane Khelif a man, despite the fact she was born female. JK Rowling, Piers Morgan, Logan Paul and Elon Musk are amongst those stoking the flames online after Khelif’s fight with Italian boxer Angela Carini ended after 46 seconds.

Carini quit the fight, saying “I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this.” Imane Khelif’s inclusion is controversial as she was not allowed to compete in the women’s world championships last year after failing testosterone and gender eligibility tests. She is however a cisgender woman, born female. Carini has also said of her opponent “I wish her to carry on until the end and that she can be happy … I am not here to judge or pass judgment. If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it’s not right or it is right, it’s not up to me to decide.”

JK Rowling posted a photo of Imane Khelif smiling, and made false claims she was a man, saying “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.”

Rowling also wrote to the International Olympics Committee (IOC) saying “A young female boxer has just had everything she’s worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her.”

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The IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said yesterday on the controversy: ““I repeat that all the competitors comply with the eligibility rules. But what I would say is that this involves real people. And, by the way, this is not a transgender issue. I should make this absolutely clear.”

Via Shutterstock

In a statement on the controversy surrounding female boxer Imane Khelif and the rhetoric online, the Paris Olympics 2024 boxing unit and the IOC released a lengthy joint statement. “Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.

“All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport.

“We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.

“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.

“The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving.”

It’s also worth noting that it is illegal to be transgender in Algeria – so to peddle the information that the country would send a trans athlete to compete in the Olympics would frankly be laughable if it wasn’t so maddening.

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