Participation in the Olympic boxing tournament by Iman Khelif and Lin Yuting, who won gold medals in the 66 and 57 kg weight categories, respectively, became one of the most scandalous and controversial moments at the 2024 Games. And even now, when all the medals in Paris have long been distributed, they do not forget about the athletes who failed the gender test.

And the day before they were suddenly talked about at… the UN! They suddenly condemned the IOC for allowing Helif and Yuting to participate in the women’s tournament.

“Male Physical Advantages”

The scandal that flared up with every victory of Helif and Yuting in the capital of France could have been avoided. The IOC just needed to follow the example of the International Boxing Association (IBA). The organization showed that it is necessary to consistently work with all athletes so that the girls are in equal conditions in any case. Thus, the IBA conducted gender tests, according to the results of which Khelif and Yuting were not allowed to participate in tournaments under the auspices of the organization.

Iman Khelif / Photo: © RvS.Media/Robert Hradil / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

At the same time, checks by the International Boxing Association, one might say, became a necessary measure, because some athletes complained about Iman and Lin. When they were suspended, the athletes could exhale calmly. However, at the Olympics, the IBA was not allowed to organize a tournament, and the competition was held by the International Olympic Committee. Thomas Bach’s office immediately announced that the Helif and Yuting gender tests were not legitimate. And IOC Communications Director Mark Adams even said that there were a lot of violations in the process of taking samples.

“I won’t discuss intimate details of athletes, it’s shameful to release such things into the information field. Even the way in which this material was communicated is contrary to any ethics. Human rights organizations will confirm that this is a violation of the rights of these women, Adams said.

Human rights organizations really spoke out, but when Khelif, who was safely cleared by the IOC for the Olympics, literally beat up Italian Angela Carini in the ring. In Carini’s homeland, they then began to condemn the scandalous decision of Bach’s office. In general, the discussion about the admission of athletes who have an advantage over other girls did not subside until the end of the Games.

And even now this topic remains relevant. The day before, UN Special Rapporteur Reem Ansalem criticized the IOC’s decision.

— There are circumstances in which gender determination is a reasonable, legal and proportionate procedure necessary to ensure fairness and safety in sport.

For example, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, female boxers were scheduled to compete against two boxers whose female gender was seriously questionable, but the International Olympic Committee refused to test their gender, Ansalem’s report noted.

Ansalem also noted that thanks to modern technology, a gender test can be performed using a simple swab from the buccal mucosa. This is a safe method that does not violate human dignity.

– The need for follow-up testing primarily concerns athletes whose sex was recorded as female at birth but who are male and who show signs of male sexual development, including male puberty or testosterone levels in the male range and therefore male physical advantages , which they may not be aware of,” Ansalem said in the report.

Even the UN understands that IOC representatives have long ceased to adhere to fair competitions and are systematically killing the Olympic movement. However, in Bach’s office, no one initially thought about the safety of the girls, and after the Olympics, sports officials did not change anything.