(Paris) IOC President Thomas Bach said on Saturday that the “hate speech” directed at boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting at the Paris Olympics was “totally unacceptable.”
“We will not participate in a culture war […] “politically motivated,” Bach insisted at a press conference.
Khelif of Algeria and Lin of Taiwan have faced days of global scrutiny over their gender. Both women have been disqualified from the 2023 world championships.
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PHOTO MOHD RASFAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Imane Khelif
The International Boxing Association, led by Russia — which was banned from the Olympics by the IOC after a years-long dispute — withdrew them from the world championships 16 months ago in India, citing gender-based testing that has yet to be specified or proven.
“We have two boxers who were born women, raised as women, have a women’s passport and have competed for many years as women,” Bach said. “Some people want to appropriate a definition of what a woman is.”
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PHOTO CARLOS PEREZ GALLARDO, REUTERS
IOC President Thomas Bach
Khelif and Lin both competed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and did not win any medals.