Olympics Organizers Slam Flawed Testing of Boxers, Citing Lack of Transparency
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has slammed the testing process of two boxers, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, as "so flawed that it’s impossible to engage with it." The two athletes were subjected to arbitrary testing during the 2023 boxing world championships, which led to a storm of vitriol misidentifying them as transgender or men.
According to IOC spokesman Mark Adams, the testing was "carted off and tested" without any clear basis or justification. Adams vigorously defended the athletes, slamming the International Boxing Association (IBA) for claiming they failed eligibility tests for women’s competition.
The IBA, which was banned from the Olympics last year, had claimed that Khelif and Lin failed to meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and had competitive advantages over other female competitors. However, Adams rejected the testing in its entirety, citing confidentiality, medical issues, and data sharing concerns.
The whole process is flawed, Adams said, from its conception to how the test was shared with the IOC and how the results became public. The IOC will not engage with this testing process, he added.
Khelif and Lin have been at the center of a clash over gender identity and regulations in sports, with critics bringing up their disqualification last year. The Russian-dominated governing body was given the unprecedented punishment of being permanently banned from the Olympics and has not run an Olympic boxing tournament since the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016.
Meanwhile, organizers have cancelled multiple test swims this weekend and last week due to water quality concerns following rain. The men’s triathlon was postponed by a day, and the women’s race went ahead on Wednesday. Decisions on whether to cancel an event are made in the wee hours of the morning on race day.
Anne Descamps, spokesperson for Paris Games organizers, said Sunday that they are expecting improvement in the water quality of the River Seine. "Sun, heat have a very positive impact. So, you know, we’re hopeful that we can organize the competition tomorrow, and we will take the decision, as planned, tomorrow morning,” she said.
Additional sources: AP
