Boxers who failed gender tests last year cleared to compete in Paris

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

TWO BOXERS – WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY DISQUALIFIED FROM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS LAST YEAR FOR FAILING GENDER ELIGIBILITY TESTS IN THE FEMALE CATEGORY – WILL BE ALLOWED TO FIGHT AGAINST FEMALES IN THE OLYMPICS.

THIS DECISION IS SPARKING BACKLASH ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CONFIRMS -IMANE KHELIF OF ALGERIA AND LIN YU-TING OF CHINESE TAIPEI – WILL FACE FEMALE OPPONENTS IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES.

DURING THE WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN MARCH 2023 – THE INTERNATIONAL BOXING ASSOCIATION DISQUALIFIED BOTH FIGHTERS SAYING THEY HAD FAILED TO MEET GENDER ELIGIBILITY TESTS.

THE IBA’S PRESIDENT SAID AT THE TIME THAT THE ASSOCIATION CONDUCTED DNA TESTS AND FOUND THE COMPLETED TESTS REVEALED THE BOXERS HAD X-Y CHROMOSOMES. THE IBA ALSO STATED — THAT A NUMBER OF ATHLETES WERE POSING AS WOMEN TO TRICK THEIR COLLEAGUES AND FIGHT IN THE FEMALE COMPETITION.THIS YEAR – THE IBA IS BANNED FROM GOVERNING THE OLYMPIC BOXING COMPETITIONS AND HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A PARIS-BASED BOXING GROUP. THAT PARIS 2024 BOXING UNIT HAS MORE RELAXED RULES FOR GENDER ELIGIBILITY THAN THE IBA.

The IOC was questioned about the decision at a briefing this week:

[MARKS ADAMS]

And it’s incredible complex. Everyone would love to have a single answer, yes no yes no. it’s incredibly complex and actually boils down to not just sport by sport, but discipline by discipline. So people may have an advantage in this discipline and not in this discipline if they’ve been through male puberty or not. That we need to leave to, and this is a conversation we have, to each federation.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE IOC SAID THE PARIS BOXING UNIT USED THE TOKYO 2020 BOXING RULES WHICH STEMMED FROM THOSE IN PLACE AT THE RIO DE JANEIRO GAMES 8 YEARS AGO.

IF WE GO BACK TO THE RULES – WHICH WERE ISSUED IN NOVEMBER 2015 – THEY STATE THAT PEOPLE WHO WERE BORN FEMALE BUT IDENTIFY AS MEN – CAN COMPETE IN THE MALE CATEGORY WITHOUT RESTRICTION.

HOWEVER – THOSE WHO WERE BORN MALE AND IDENTIFY AS A WOMAN – HAVE TO MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO COMPETE IN THE FEMALE CATEGORY:

THE FIRST RESTRICTION – IS THAT PERSON MUST HAVE IDENTIFIED AS A WOMAN FOR A MINIMUM OF FOUR YEARS. 

THE SECOND RESTRICTION – IS THAT PERSON MUST HAVE SUPPRESSED THEIR TESTOSTERONE TO A CERTAIN LIMIT FOR AT LEAST 12 MONTHS.

THE THIRD RESTRICTION – IS THAT PERSON MUST KEEP THEIR TESTOSTERONE BELOW A CERTAIN LIMIT FOR THE DURATION OF THE GAMES.

THE FOURTH RESTRICTION – IS THAT PERSON MUST UNDERGO TESTING FOR COMPLIANCE. IF THE PERSON FAILS – THEY WILL BE SUSPENDED FROM FEMALE COMPETITION FOR 12 MONTHS. 

THE IOC ALSO STATES: “RULES SHOULD BE IN PLACE FOR THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN IN SPORT AND THE PROMOTION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF FAIR COMPETITION.”

BUT CAN A PERSON BORN MALE FAIRLY FIGHT A PERSON BORN FEMALE?

BARRY MCGUIGAN – THE FORMER WORLD CHAMPION PROFESSIONAL BOXER – POSTED ON X: “IT’S SHOCKING THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO GET THIS FAR, WHAT IS GOING ON ?”

RILEY GAINES – A FORMER COLLEGIATE SWIMMER ALSO POSTED: “IMAGINE TRAINING YOUR WHOLE LIFE, GETTING GOOD ENOUGH TO EARN A SPOT ON THE OLYMPIC TEAM, HOPING TO A WIN AN OLYMPIC MEDAL….THEN YOU’RE TOLD YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MAN. THAT’S THE TRAGIC REALITY FOR THESE WOMEN.”

SCIENTISTS CONDUCTED AN EXPERIMENT AND FOUND — MALES WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH MALE PUBERTY HAVE AN AVERAGE PUNCHING POWER 162% GREATER THAN FEMALES – “WITH THE LEAST-POWERFUL MAN STILL STRONGER THAN THE MOST POWERFUL WOMAN.” 

“MALES UPPER BODIES ON AVERAGE, HAVE 75% MORE MUSCLE MASS AND 90% MORE STRENGTH THAN FEMALES” 

UP UNTIL THE 1960’S – FEMALES WOULD HAVE TO BE PHYSICALLY EXAMINED BY DOCTORS TO DETERMINE IF THEY WERE IN FACT, “FEMALE” TO COMPETE IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES.