Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination - IOC addresses transgender issues

The International Olympic Committee together with the 2024 Paris Boxing Unit have addressed claims of transgender athletes participating at the Olympic Games in Paris.

In a strong statement titled ‘Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination' the IOC emphasised every athlete participating in the Games has passed the eligibility requirement.

The IOC further explained that gender and age on athletes' passports were used to register them for their respective competitions.

“Every person has the right to practise 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."

The statement is in reaction to the International Boxing Association (IBA) criticising the IOC for 'inconsistent in eligibility'.

Two female boxers Lin Yu-Ting and Imane Khelif, who are alleged to be transgender women, were banned by the IBA from participating in the World Championships in 2023 after failing an eligibility test.

The test ignited controversy, leading to the IOC stripping off the IBA's right to govern boxing at the Games.

While addressing the IBA's statement on the two boxes competing at the Olympics, the IOC noted that Khelif and Lin were victims of 'a sudden and arbitrary decision' at the World Championships.

“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 current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.”

The Committee also underlined that the two athletes have been competing in women's boxing throughout their careers, labelling information regarding their gender as 'misleading'.

"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."

Imane Khelif, who is Algerian won her round of 16 welterweight against Italy's Angela Carini in 46 seconds after the latter threw in the towel following the first punch.

On the other hand, Taiwanese athlete Lin Yu-Ting has not yet competed in an Olympic Games since 2024.