Two female boxers from the Paris Olympics have been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests.
PARIS — Two female boxers at the Paris Olympics were disqualified from the 2023 world championships after failing a gender-eligibility test, but the IOC said Monday they had followed all the rules to compete at the Games.
Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting and Algeria's Imane Khelif will be competing in their second Summer Olympics, after both missed out on a medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
“All athletes taking part in the boxing competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will comply with the eligibility and participation regulations and all applicable medical regulations,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement.
Lin, 28, is a two-time world championship gold medalist, while Khelif, 25, won silver at the 2022 Games.
Both fighters were barred from competing at last year's world championships in New Delhi, organised by the International Boxing Association, which had banned them from Olympic boxing even before the Tokyo Games.
The difference between Lin and Khelib's positions at the Olympics and world championships is the aftermath of a long-running dispute between the IOC and the Russia-led IBA over governance and integrity deficiencies, as well as reliance on funding from state energy company Gazprom.
The IOC has appointed officials to run boxing events for two consecutive Summer Olympics and confirmed on Monday that the rules for the Paris Games will be a “continuation” of those used at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics eight years ago.
The IOC said boxing officials selected to run the qualifying and final tournaments in Paris “sought to limit amendments to minimise the impact on athletes' preparations and ensure consistency between the Olympic Games”.
Both boxers' experiences at the 2023 world championships are detailed in a database run by the IOC of around 10,700 athletes competing in Paris.
Kherif was disqualified “just hours before” the gold medal match against a Chinese athlete because “he did not meet the eligibility criteria due to high testosterone levels.”
According to the IOC database, Lin was “stripped of his bronze medal (by the IBA) for not meeting the eligibility requirements based on the results of his biochemical test.”
Kheriff will face Italy's Angela Carini in the 66kg class on Thursday at Arena Nord in Paris. Lin, who was given a first-round exemption as the top seed in the 57kg class, will make her first appearance in the round of 16 on Friday.
The boxing medal competition in Paris will take place at the Roland Garros tennis venue.
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