PARIS: The gender controversy in boxing took a dramatic turn on Friday. Just when the debate whether two athletes, previously disqualified over a gender issue, should continue playing at the Paris Olympics or not was raging, the central character in the whole drama, Italy’s Angela Carini, came out and apologised to Imane Khelif, her opponent on Thursday.
A day after that drama, Carini formally apologised to Imane for not shaking her hand. "Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else," she said. "I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don’t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.” Her withdrawal from the boxing bout after a mere 46 seconds has caused furore in the world of sport. However, one must understand that the two were not born male.
Interestingly, the controversy has an Indian connection too. The decision to debar them from boxing was taken in New Delhi. At the 2023 World Championships in the capital, the now de-recognised International Boxing Association (IBA) that was conducting it, declared them ineligible (Imane and Lin Yuting) to contest mid-way into the tournament. When they arrived at the decision, the Algerian was in the final and Chinese Taipei pugilist had won a bronze.
Boxing India, the host federation, was informed about the decision but it is understood that they were not given details of the tests IBA had conducted. These findings, according to a few federations, have not been shared with them as well.
Going into the competition in Paris, Imane was just an outsider. Now, the bookmakers have tipped her to win the event (in Tokyo, she had lost in the quarters). Lin, on the other hand, had been a two-time world champion and had defeated Parveen Hooda in the semifinals of the Asian Games. Lin is the top seed in the women's 57-kg discipline at the Olympics .
The controversy has overshadowed boxing and the issue is threatening to unsettle the very tenet of inclusivity propagated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The controversy exploded when Italy’s Carini stooped to her knees with a bloodied nose and decided to abandon her bout. Since then, Carini has been supported by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. She even met the pugilist. Social media went berserk.
A day later, Lin fought. If anyone expected the crowd to be partisan, it was not at all. Lin faced Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova and she won unanimously. The crowd cheered loudly for both boxers throughout the bout and there was no trace of any displeasure. No boos. Lin was not as bulky as the Algerian boxer. The weight category was 57kg but she was taller than her opponent and lean. She fought using her long reach to outbox her opponent. The Uzbekistan boxer’s refusal to shake hands with Lin after the referee raised Lin’s hands seemed unsporting but revealed that not all was well.
The scene at the mixed zone was epic. The Chinese Taipei boxer left the place without speaking to the waiting media – a big turnout after Thursday’s Imane’s bout. One of the Chinese Taipei coaches then stopped. The entire posse of journalists ran towards him. However, he spoke just a couple of words and that too in Chinese. A Chinese journalist tried to translate whatever she could – pressure and good were the two key words.
Another journalist came and shared another small gist of a conversation the coach was heard having (it pertained to the umpire’s decision and hoping to do well).
Earlier in the day, during the IOC daily briefing, it was evident that the controversy was slowly turning out to be a sparring game between the de-recognised IBA and the IOC. On Friday morning, the IOC said that the boxers were victims of a sudden decision that did not have much scientific backing. “The details of the tests are not known,” said Mark Adams, the director of communications and spokesperson of the IOC. He also said that during the continental Games last year, the same rules applied. “We cannot change the rules during the competition. On a broader sense, we need a more scientific consensus on this.” He felt it was some kind of a witch hunt.
The IOC also said that they do not want to see any injured athlete and safety of each athlete is their priority. He also said that sex testing stopped by around 1999 and each federation has its own criteria to determine eligibility (International Federations are free to adopt their own policies for this issue).
The IBA, in the interim, has put out two statements. They have not specified what test they conducted but it was not a testosterone one (the test was conducted by an independent laboratory).
“Point to note, the athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential. This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors,” said the IBA statement.
The fight has gone beyond the boxing hall. The IBA has pointed fingers towards World Boxing, the body backed by the IOC to help the sport get into the Olympic programme. “WB, whose sole purpose of existence is to support the Olympic movement, has equally endorsed and reinforced ineligible athletes to compete in their very own recently announced events,” said IBA.
However, going by the minutes of IBA, the decision was taken by the secretary general and CEO and was later ratified by the general assembly. According to the IBA, Imane contested the disqualification but later withdrew it.
The IOC, in a joint statement with the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit on Thursday, said: "As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport." The IOC have already reiterated multiple times that this isn't a transgender issue. WB did not want to comment on this right now because the IOC is handling it but had told this daily that they would let their own medical team further investigate.