New Delhi, India

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a statement, clarifying their eligibility and entry regulations for the boxing tournament of the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 after a huge gender issue broke out during the face-off between Italy’s Angela Carini and Algeria's Imane Khelif on Thursday (Aug 1). Notably, Carini opted out from her welterweight round of 16 clash against Khelif after just 46 seconds of copping a huge blow on her nose by the opposition, leaving her bleeding. Following this, she walked out of the contest claiming it 'unfair' to battle against a biologically male opponent.

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During the 2023 World Championships, Khelif had failed a gender eligibility test and, as a result, was disqualified prior to her gold medal bout in New Delhi last year for not meeting the International Boxing Association's (IBA) eligibility criteria. Back then, the incident made heads turn and led to a huge uproar in the sporting fraternity, with many lashing at the IOC for their eligibility criteria.

Following the latest controversy, the IOC, in a joint statement with the Boxing Unit, defended Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting (the female athlete has also been in question, deemed to have male chromosomes). It stated that the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport. In addition, it revealed that the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit used the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules as a baseline to develop its regulations for the ongoing showpiece event, in order to maintain consistency between the Games.

The joint statement said, "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) (please find all applicable rules here). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport.

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These rules also applied during the qualification period, including the boxing tournaments of the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games, the ad hoc 2023 African qualifying tournament in Dakar (SEN) and two world qualifying tournaments held in Busto Arsizio (ITA) and Bangkok (THA) in 2024, which involved a total of 1,471 different boxers from 172 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the Boxing Refugee Team and Individual Neutral Athletes, and featured over 2,000 qualification bouts.

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Also read: Paris Olympics 2024: Simone Biles stands head and shoulders above rivals after clinching gold

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The PBU used the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules as a baseline to develop its regulations for Paris 2024. This was to minimise the impact on athletes’ preparations and guarantee consistency between Olympic Games. These Tokyo 2020 rules were based on the post-Rio 2016 rules, which were in place before the suspension of the boxing International Federation by the IOC in 2019 and the subsequent withdrawal of its recognition in 2023.

It further added, "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.

According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also say that the IBA should “establish a clear procedure on gender testing."