Olympics 2024: Gender Storm Rocks Olympics

By Mohd. Sahil Khan 5 Minutes Read

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting has been the subject of controversy due to a failed gender test last year. Despite the controversy, Lin was allowed to compete in her first Olympic match at the Paris Olympics. Lin defeated Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan in the women’s 57kg category.

The International Boxing Association previously disqualified Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. However, they were allowed to participate in the Olympics under the authority of the International Olympic Committee.

Gender controversy                  

• This issue of gender identity has been flagged on two consecutive days of boxing bouts.
  
• Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif were previously disqualified from the World Championships. It is established that both the ‘women’ boxers had failed the gender identity tests carried out by the International Boxing Association (IBA).
  
• The controversy has sparked widespread debate about the appropriateness of their participation in the women’s division of the Paris Olympics 2024.

Conflicting stance

• The IOC and IBA find themselves in a confrontation over this highly contentious matter.
  
• The IBA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have differing definitions of gender and eligibility criteria, leading to controversy.
  
• The IBA has adopted a strict chromosomal definition of gender, classifying athletes as female with XX chromosomes and male with XY. Based on this rigid criterion, Lin and Khelif were deemed ineligible to compete.
  
• Whereas, the IOC has thrown its weight behind Lin and Khelif, declaring them eligible based on the traditional gender marker on their passports.
  
• Khelif and Lin, both identifying as women with extensive competitive histories in women’s boxing, were removed from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association due to alleged violations of eligibility criteria.
  
• IOC did not acknowledge IBA’s ban over issues of financial transparency. IOC stated that both the boxers were “suddenly disqualified without any due process”.

Wider implications

• The controversy has raised questions about fairness in women’s sports and the role of governing bodies in determining eligibility.
  
• While neither Lin nor Khelif identifies as transgender, the core issue lies in the definition of “woman” in the context of sports.
  
• The IBA has expressed that Lin and Khelif were banned “to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition”.
  
• On the other hand, Mark Adams, IOC spokesman said “The question you have to ask yourself is ‘are these athletes women?’,” and to which he replied as ‘Yes’. Furthermore, he said “A test which may have happened – a made-up test which was new – should not be given credence.”
  
• The case has brought to light the complexities of balancing the rights of transgender athletes to participate in sports with the need to protect fair competition for cisgender women.

The controversy has added fuel to the already ignited flames of a question of ‘gender identity’ after Imane Khelif fight yesterday. The boxing ring has become a battleground for a larger war over gender definition. As the controversy unfolds, the world watches with bated breath, awaiting a resolution that balances fairness, inclusivity, and the integrity of competition.

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Mohd. Sahil Khan