IOC urge against 'witch-hunt' amid furore over boxers CLEARED to compete in the Olympics as women, despite being disqualified from the World Championships

The International Olympic Committee has warned against a 'witch-hunt' amid criticism of a decision to allow two boxers, who were banned for being deemed  biologically male, to compete at the Olympics as women.

Algeria's Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan were disqualified from the Women's World Boxing Championships in March 2023 in New Delhi.

At the time Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), claimed the tests had proven the athletes – including Khelif and Yu-Ting – had 'XY chromosomes'. 

He added that they 'uncovered athletes who were trying to fool their colleagues and pretend to be women'.

Algeria's Imane Khelif was disqualified for failing a testosterone level test, while Yu-Ting was stripped of a bronze medal in March.

Following last year's ban, the Algerian Olympic Committee hit back, claiming the disqualification was part of a 'conspiracy' to stop them from winning a gold meal and said 'medical reasons' were behind high testosterone levels. 

According to feminist website Reduxx, both are thought to be impacted by a Difference of Sexual Development (DSD), a series of medical conditions identified at birth where genitalia is atypical in relation to chromosomes. 

The IBA are not responsible for the Olympic competition having been stripped of recognition by the IOC amid ongoing governance issues - with the organisation establishing the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit to run the event.

The Boxing Unit has approved both boxers participation under rules in place for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which are less strict than the IBA's.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams stated that the organisation are 'entirely comfortable with the rules' that were in place for the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, before stressing there should not be a 'witch-hunt' against the two boxers.

‘These boxers are entirely eligible, they are women on their passports, they have competed for many years,' Adams said at a press conference.

‘I actually think it is not helpful to start stigmatising people who take part in sport like this

‘They are women who competed in Tokyo.

‘I think we all have a responsibility to dial down this and not turn it into some kind of witch-hunt.

‘These are regular athletes who have competed for many years in boxing, they are entirely eligible and they are women on their passports.’

Both boxers had competed at the Tokyo Olympics, with Khelif losing in the quarter-finals to eventual gold medallist Ireland's Kellie Harrington.

Yu-Ting, a two-time Asian champion, was beaten in the last-16 of the women's featherweight event.

Khelif, a welterweight, is due to fight Italy's Angela Carini on Thursday, with Yu-Ting in action on Friday. 

Northern Ireland great Barry McGuigan described the situation as 'shocking', while a former Olympian claimed that gender ideology 'will get women KILLED'. 

Elsewhere, Nancy Hogshead – the American swimmer who won three golds at the 1984 Games, waded into the row, claiming that 'gender ideology will get women KILLED'.

Hogshead wrote: 'Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan are scheduled to compete in women's Olympic boxing – despite being disqualified last year for having XY chromosomes, the male phenotype. Let's remind ourselves that males – however they identify – pack a punch that is 162 per cent more powerful than women – THE biggest performance gap between men and women. Gender ideology will get women KILLED.'