Women’s Boxing Embroiled in Controversy Over Transphobia Politics

A viral video making the rounds on social media has sparked outrage and controversy amongst sports fans, casting a shadow on the women’s boxing tournament at the Olympics. The video depicted two boxers fighting with the caption, “Beating women is now a spectator sport. We have never been more aware as a society of male violence against women. Why are the Olympics allowing this male to enter the boxing ring with a woman?”

The fighter in question was Imane Khelif of Algeria. Khelif, along with Lin Yu‑ting of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), was removed competition and stripped of medals from last year’s International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships after allegedly failing gender-eligibility tests for the female category. However, they have been cleared to fight at the Paris Olympics. The Olympics are governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which expelled the IBA from its membership and stripped them of recognition in 2023. The decision was upheld on appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2024.

The confusion stems from statements made by IBA President Umar Kremlev at the time of the disqualifications of these athletes. “Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition,” Kremlev said.

The gender tests, conducted by the IBA, that led to these women’s disqualification, are testosterone levels testing. Testosterone level tests have been widely discredited by the medical community as a means of determining gender, as testosterone levels can vary in both men and women and have disproportionately affected women from Africa and Asia. The latest version of IBA protocols would mandate these athletes take testosterone blockers, which they refuse to do. Both fighters were in fact born biological women.

Responses on social media to the false allegations were swift. One of those responses came from combat sports legend Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. Cyborg reacted to the controversy with a post on social media: “We must protect the integrity of women’s sports. I would not compete.” Ironically, Cyborg has faced similar transgendered allegations throughout her career. After a 2018 victory over Holly Holm, Cyborg took to social media to request an apology from photographer Mark Aragon after Aragon repeatedly referred to her as a man. Cyborg also called for Aragon’s credentials to be revoked.

Grey Johnson of Boxrec came out in support of the two Olympic athletes, noting incredulously that “Algeria isn’t sending a trans boxer to the Olympics.” Being LGBTQ in Algeria is a criminal offense, punishable by up to three years in prison.

The IOC responded to the controversy through their spokesman, without naming the specific athletes. IOC spokesman Mark Adams stated, “They are eligible by the rules of the federation which was set in 2016, and which worked for Tokyo too,” Adams said. “To compete as women, which is what they are. And we fully support that.”

For more information on the IOC’s eligibility guidelines, you can refer to their official document here:
https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Beyond-the-Games/Human-Rights/IOC-Framework-Fairness-Inclusion-Non-discrimination-2021.pdf