Bad-faith actors in the media and on social media have been working over time to flood the information space with deliberate lies and disinformation — the aim of course is to obfuscate, it always is.
The widespread confusion and misunderstanding around the current Olympic boxing controversy is a perfect example of what happens when neutral and precise terminology for sex (and gender) is replaced with incoherent, ideological language deliberately designed to avoid contact with material reality.
In combat sports the stakes are especially high due the significantly increased risk of serious injury and even death.
Scientific research shows that an individual who experiences an androgenized physical development (ie. male puberty) has on average 162% greater punching power than a female person of equal size and fitness.
I want to be clear, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) is the only villan in this situation. The IOC's pathetic lack of leadership on this century-old problem and its historic contempt for women's sports has lead to an unnecessary focus individual athletes which is unfortunate and cruel - but make no mistake, it's entirely intentional.
My intention is to provide a summary of the known facts for anyone who cares to know them.
Summary of the facts:
On March 24, 2023, Imane Khelif (Algeria) and Lin Yu-Ting (Chinese Taipei) were
disqualified from Women's World Boxing Championship 2023 in New Delhi for failing to meet
eligibility criteria per International Boxing Association (IBA)
guidelines.
The IBA
defines "Woman/Female/Girl" as "an individual with XX chromosomes". IBA
guidelines state that boxers are subject to random and/or targeted sex verification screenings to confirm they meet
eligibility criteria for IBA Competitions.
Khelif and Lin's disqualifications stem from two separate sex verification screenings conducted at the
request of World Boxing Championship’s medical committee.
The first test was performed in May 2022, during the World Boxing Championship in Istanbul. Blood samples collected from Khelif and Lin were sent to an independent ISO-certified laboratory accredited by the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The IBA received the lab reports seven days later on May 24 (after the event had already concluded) stating that the result of a chromosomal analysis revealed an XY karyotype. Contrary to what is widely being reported, these were
not merely a testosterone examination.
A second test was conducted in March 2023, ahead of the World Boxing Championship in New Delhi. Blood samples were collected from Khelif and Lin shortly after arriving in India. The samples were sent to an independent ISO-certified laboratory accredited by the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport. The IBA received the lab reports seven days later on March 23, 2023. Both reports showed that an analysis revealed an XY chromosome pattern.
NBC sportswriter Alan Abrahamson, has seen the results of Lin and Khelif's verification test.
According to him, the 2022 & 2023 reports for both boxers say the same thing.
2022 World Boxing Championship in Istanbul say:
“Result: In the interphase nucleus FISH analysis performed on cells obtained from your patient's material, 100 interphase nuclei were examined with the Cytocell brand Prenatal Enumeration Probe Kit. An XY signal pattern was observed in all of them.”
2023 World Boxing Championship in New Delhi lab reports say:
Result Summary: "Abnormal"
Interpretation: "Chromosomal analysis reveals Male karyotype".
On March 24,
Khelif and
Lin received written notice of their disqualification along with a copy of the lab reports and informed of their right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within twenty-one days. An acknowledgement of receipt was signed by both athletes.
Lin chose
not to challenge the disqualification and did not file an appeal - the DQ became legally binding on April 14, 2023 (in other words, Lin accepted the results and decision). Khelif initially filed an appeal at the CAS which was subsequently
withdrawn in July 2023.
On June 5, 2023, the IBA sent IOC Sports Director Kitt McConnell
written notice of Lin & Khelif's disqualification along with copies of the lab reports.
On June 16, 2023, McConnell
acknowledged receipt of the June 5 letter.
The disqualification of Khelif and Lin was widely
reported on and
discussed within the boxing and elite sporting world at the time. For example, an Olympian from Mexico Brianda Tamara commented on the disqualification back in March 2023:
"When I fought with her I felt very out of my reach, her blows hurt me a lot, I don't think I ever felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men. Thank God that day I got out of the ring safely, and it's good they finally realized."
Following the disqualification, the Algerian Olympic Committee incorrectly attributed Khelif's disqualification to elevated testosterone levels found in the medical assessments ahead of the World Boxing Championship.
In a
video posted online, Khelif accused another country for the disqualification, calling the entire incident a "conspiracy" to bring the boxer down (Khelif was accusing Morocco). The athlete
stated "this is a huge plot and I will not shut up about it". Khelif explained they were born that way, in response to the boxing body explaining that her testosterone levels were high after running some tests.
World Boxing Organization's European Vice President, István Kovács, was approached for commentary after Khelif's win against Angela Carini.
Kovács
claimed that his organization had been aware since 2022 that Khelif and Lin are male.
According to Mr. Kovács:
The problem was not with the level of Khelif’s testosterone, because that can be adjusted nowadays, but with the result of the gender test, which clearly revealed that the Algerian boxer is biologically male.
The IOC internal system, MyInfo, which is accessible to accredited media and journalists, includes a detailed profile for each athlete competing in the 2024 games. Both Khelif and Lin's profile
reference their 2023 disqualification for not meeting IBA eligibility criteria. Khelif's profile also revealed elevated levels of testosterone had been detected, a detail which had not been previously disclosed. Khelif and Lin's profile was immediately
scrubbed after Khelif's win against Carini.
Edited on 08/11 to include an important interview with Khelif’s boxing trainer who acknowledges that Khelif has XY chromosomes and elevated levels of testosterone which he describes as a “problem”. However having elevated testosterone levels is entirely normal for an individual with XY chromosomes. Here is the interview, it’s in French but you should be able to easily translate it:
https://archive.ph/DaoOy
Conclusion
The IBA made the decision to disqualify Lin and Khelif from competing in women's boxing events based on scientific evidence it obtained from two independent ISO-certified laboratories accredited by the CAS in two different countries. Contrary to what is widely being reported, the sex verification screening is
not merely a testosterone examination. Khelif and Lin were found to have elevated levels of testosterone however, that was not the
criteria which made them ineligible.
This evidence is independently corroborated by NBC sportswriter Alan Abrahamson and World Boxing Organization's European Vice President István Kovács.
Both athletes signed the DQ letter from IBA acknowledging receipt of the lab reports. If there was any reason to suspect that the information in the lab reports were inaccurate or fraudulent, both athletes would have easily won an appeal at the CAS and likely awarded substantial compensation. Lin chose not to appeal at all and Khelif withdrew the appeal before the proceedings began.
Lin and Khelif were disqualified from IBA competition for having XY chromosomes, which is associated with being a biologically male.
Narratives in the media and social media:
Despite the above facts, the media and many on social media persist in framing opposition to Lin and Khelif’s participation in women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics as bigoted and embarked on (with no evidence whatsoever) a desperate hunt for potential DSDs that can result in a female with XY chromosomes.
The favored narrative is that Lin and Khelif are not "trans" women (no serious person suggested this) but “cisgender” women with vaginas who naturally produce high levels of testosterone. This argument mirrors the defense used for South African runner and two-time Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya when questions about Semenya’s sex arose.
Progressive media outlets like
The New York Times,
The Washington Post,
Slate and others flooded the zone with countless articles parroting the “female with naturally high testosterone” angle that the truth became effectively buried. To this day, many (most?) still have no idea that the reason Semenya has “naturally high testosterone” is because Semenya is biologically male with two functioning testes and XY chromosomes.
Here is an important excerpt from former Olympic athlete Dorianne Coleman's book,
On Sex and Gender, where she discusses the consequences of the media's concerted disinformation campaign around Semenya's eligibility. Despite the fact that she is an olympian and black woman she was immediately accused of racism whenever she spoke out:
https://preview.redd.it/y0kd0fnc8xhd1.png?width=1547&format=png&auto=webp&s=68879921f504b9f819d48ff4bff6e1295fe507d4
https://preview.redd.it/nqyp395e8xhd1.png?width=463&format=png&auto=webp&s=48e7b21bf7b0d534ad5cd3dbc37369193df07e54
On social media the most common claim is that the athletes have Swyer syndrome, or "XY gonadal dysgenesis." This disorder occurs when the SRY gene on the Y chromosome is missing or inactive. Without this gene, the body cannot develop testes, resulting in no testosterone production and preventing male puberty. Thus, individuals with Swyer syndrome do not gain typical male physical advantages or features, meaning they are not androgenized.
Given Khelif’s pronounced masculine facial features and significant upper-body muscle mass, it is highly unlikely that Khelif has Swyer syndrome. If Khelif did have this condition, they would have almost certainly proceeded with the appeal and won.
Another DSD discussed is complete or partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS/PAIS). Individuals with this condition have XY chromosomes, develop normal testes, and produce male levels of testosterone. However, their cells contain defective androgen receptors that do not respond to testosterone.
Consequently, they show no signs of androgenization because their bodies are completely unresponsive to testosterone, and have no physical advantage in sports. Given Khelif’s androgenized appearance, CAIS can be effectively ruled out. If Khelif had CAIS, they would have almost certainly proceeded with the appeal and won.
Hilarious attempt to Russia-gate this whole thing:
"The IBA is corrupt and cannot be trusted!"
The IOC has ongoing issues with the IBA over its refusal to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing under their national flag and anthem solely on the basis of national identity and will not reject sponsorships from Russian companies. The IBA maintains a neutral stance on geopolitical issues, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has long been the norm for international sporting bodies. There has also complaints about the IBA appointing corrupt referees in sporting matches.
The IOC itself has faced multiple corruption inquiries over the years. However, it would be disingenuous and worm-like to claim that due to accusations of bribery in bidding contracts, for example, the IOC should not be trusted on the gender eligibility of athletes. The IOC should not be trusted because it has demonstrated specific incompetence in overseeing gender eligibility. In contrast, the IBA has not shown such incompetence.
"The IBA only disqualified L & K because they beat Russian boxers at the 2023 championships!"
The claim that this is "punishment" for defeating Russian boxers in the 2023 championships is unfounded.
After defeating Amineva, Khelif beat Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova and Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng. Khelif was disqualified just before facing China’s Yang Liu, and no Russian boxer advanced to the finals. Disqualifying Khelif did not benefit any Russian competitor.
Multiple boxers defeated Russian opponents and won gold without issue, such as Morocco’s Khadija El-Mardi, who beat Russia’s Diana Pyatak to secure a spot in the gold match. Other Russian boxers did not place in various categories, yet no other athletes were "punished" for beating them.
Additionally, Lin Yu-Ting did not compete against any Russian boxers.
Most importantly, Russia would have no reason to sabotage two random athletes from the Republic of Algeria and China, both countries are its close allies.
If the IBA had the results of a sex verification screening in 2022, why were they allowed to compete in Istanbul?
The verification screens must be tested at a CAS-accredited ISO-certified independent laboratory which takes 7-days to process. In 2022, the results were received upon the conclusion of the event, hence the athletes were not disqualified back then.
They were tested again upon arrival to the 2023 Women's World Boxing Championship in New Delhi.
I'm including these additional sources (not linked above) whose writing contributed to this post significantly.
https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/fact-vs-fiction-olympic-boxer-imane
https://archive.is/K0H1M
