New Delhi: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has defended its decision to allow Algerian boxer Imane Khelif (66kg) and Chinese Taipei’s double world champion Lin Yu-ting (75kg) to compete in the ongoing Paris Olympics. A gender controversy had erupted on Thursday after Italy’s Angela Carini forfeited her Round of 16 bout against Khelif in 46 seconds.

Carini took two hard punches from Khelif in the North Paris Arena during their pre-quarter final clash on Thursday, one of which seemingly dislodged her headgear. Later, Carini said that she feared her nose was broken. “I have never felt a punch like this,” she said after the bout, breaking down inconsolably.

Khelif and Yu-ting were disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) at last year’s World Championships in New Delhi after both failed unspecified gender tests. At the Paris Olympics though, boxing is conducted by IOC’s Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU) following IOC’s derecognition of IBA.

“Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination,” IOC said in its statement, released late on Thursday. The global body said that the gender and age of the athletes are based on the information available on their passports. Both Khelif and Yu-ting identify themselves as women.

“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),” IOC stated.

Referring to IBA’s disqualification of the two boxers at the 2023 Worlds, the IOC claimed that the pugilists were the “victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA”.

“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, 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,” IOC said.

“According to the IBA minutes available on their website, the decision was initially taken solely by the IBA secretary general and CEO.”

IBA, in a statement issued on July 31, claimed that their decision to disqualify the duo was “after a meticulous review, and was extremely important and necessary to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition.” IBA clarified that the two athletes didn’t undergo a testosterone examination but were subjected to “a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential”.

“This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors,” IBA said. “The decision made by IBA on March 24 was subsequently ratified by the IBA board of directors on March 25, 2023.” The disqualification, IBA explained, was based on the test conducted during the Istanbul (2022) and Delhi (2023) Worlds. While Yu-ting did not contest the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Khelif withdrew her appeal.

The IOC noted that the minutes of the IBA meeting in which the decision was taken recommended that the IBA should “establish a clear procedure on gender testing.”

“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years,” the IOC said.

“Eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competition, and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence.

“The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving.”

Khelif is set to face Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori in the 66kg quarter-finals on Saturday where a win will secure her a medal. Yu-ting will meet Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova in the Round of 16 on Friday.