Are Men Competing as Women in the Olympics? The Facts Say: 'No!'

The decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Algerian Imane Khelif and Taiwanese Lin Yu-Ting to participate in boxing competitions has sparked heated debates recently. Both athletes were disqualified during the world championships in Delhi last year, with the International Boxing Association stating they did not meet the requirements for the women's category.

Amid this, viral social media posts claim the IOC has permitted transwomen to compete in the women's category, with some users alleging that "men are beating women." Factcheck.bg has compiled known facts about the case.

Khelif and Yu-Ting do not identify as transwomen. They have consistently competed in women's competitions and have not identified as transwomen. However, in March 2023, the International Boxing Association disqualified them during the world championships in Delhi, just before Khelif's final match for the gold medal. A Thai competitor, previously eliminated in the semi-final, replaced her. Lin Yu-Ting was stripped of her bronze medal.

The International Boxing Association stated that the disqualification decision was not based on testosterone levels but another validated laboratory study, the specifics of which remain confidential. According to meeting minutes, the decision was made solely by IBA general secretary Umar Kremlev and later ratified by the board of directors. Kremlev later stated on his Telegram channel that the boxers were excluded because they "have XY chromosomes," though this information is not officially disclosed by the IBA.

There is no publicly known data on whether either boxer is intersex, a term describing individuals who cannot be unequivocally classified as male or female biologically. The IBA, which organized last year's world championship, is not recognized by the IOC due to corruption and governance issues. It was expelled in 2023, and its appeal was rejected by a Swiss court. An alternative federation, World Boxing, now has 37 national boxing federations as members and hopes to manage boxing competitions in the next Olympic Games.

The IOC's stance on Khelif and Yu-Ting was clarified during a July 30 press conference by spokesperson Mark Adams, who stated that both athletes meet the criteria for competing in the women's category. He emphasized that the decision was made on an expert level, noting that the athletes are passport women and have competed as women for years. The IOC's position is supported by Boris van der Vorst, president of World Boxing, who urged that gender issues be left to experts.

Khelif and Yu-Ting have numerous honors from previous competitions and have participated in tournaments without issues. Khelif has a gold medal from the 2022 Strandja Cup in Bulgaria.

Gender verification and doping tests have a long history in the Olympics. Men are traditionally thought to have a competitive advantage due to biological characteristics like higher testosterone and greater muscle mass. Yet, there are historical instances of athletes with biological variations, such as androgen resistance, competing without an advantage over women. The IOC stopped routine gender testing in 1999, effective from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The IOC allows individual federations to decide on the participation of transgender athletes. Guidelines published in 2021 include principles like inclusion, non-discrimination, and evidence-based decisions. Many sports now prohibit transwomen from competing as women, and some have created an "open" category. At the Paris Games, no transwomen are participating, according to various media monitoring the topic.

/Vasilena Dotkova, Factcheck.bg

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