(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.
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.”
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.