Former Team GB star Sharron Davies has labelled the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow failed gender test boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting to compete at the Paris Games as ‘insane’ and warned female boxers could be ‘killed’.
Algeria’s Khelif and Taiwan fighter Yu-ting have been at the centre of a controversial gender row during the Games after both were given the green light to compete despite being banned from the International Boxing Association World Championships last year for reportedly failing a gender test.
Both boxers have since secured themselves a guaranteed medal at the Olympics in their respective weight categories.
Fury was sparked when Khelif’s power forced Italy’s Angela Carini to quit just 46 seconds into their first-round bout and prompting furious responses over her eligibility from high-profile celebrities such as JK Rowling and Judy Murray.
The IOC later doubled-down on their ruling to allow both fighters to compete in the women’s category at the Games citing that Khelif and Yu-ting are both documented as females on their passports.
Former Team GB Olympian Sharron Davies has warned female boxers could be ‘killed’ in the ring if failed gender test athletes are allowed to continue competing
Algeria’s Imane Khelif (blue) has been at the centre of a controversial gender row at the Olympics
Taiwan fighter Lin Yu-ting (left) has also been involved in the Paris Olympics gender row
Defeated Italian boxer, Carini, previously claimed she had stopped her contest against Khelif over fears for her safety, and now former gold and silver Olympic medallist, Davies, has issued similar warnings.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the 61-year-old said: ‘In boxing, it is insane to put a male in a ring with a female and for the IOC to say the only thing that’s important to them is what is on a passport is genuine neglect.
‘The duty of care has been thrown out the window, and my head wants to explode…
‘We’re literally on the cusp of a female athlete potentially being killed if we’re not careful. It really is that bad.’
Other boxers competing at the Games have aired their worries and feelings of unjust in more cryptic ways with Turkey’s Esra Yildiz – who was beaten by Yu-Ting – making an ‘X’ sign with her fingers just as the Taiwan boxer’s Bulgarian opponent had done in the previous bout.
Italian boxer Angela Carini (pictured) was devastated after being beaten by Khelif in just 46 seconds
Imane Khelif (left) and Yu-Ting (right) have both guaranteed themselves medals at the Olympics
Olympic Chief: Boxers Khelif & Lin are women with right to compete
Some female competitors such as Svetlana Staneva made an ‘X’ gesture after losing out to Yu Ting
Many believe the single ‘X’ symbol is reference to the fact that male chromosomes are designated by an X and a Y, while females have two X’s.
Linda Blade, co-founder of the International Consortium on Female Sport followed on from Davies and highlighted that the controversial gender issue could have been ‘entirely avoidable’.
‘Boxing is the sport with the greatest disparity between males and female – with males punching 162 per cent harder than females,’ Blade said.
‘The potential harm to females that could result from the pummelling delivered by an unverified participant who is male is catastrophic.’
After her semi-final victory, Khelif said that she did not care about the controversy swirling over her inclusion in the women’s 66kg boxing category.
Having avoided the huge media scrum after her previous bouts, Khelif broke her silence to maintain: ‘I don’t care what anyone is saying about me with the controversy.
‘All that is important to me is that I stay on the level and give my people the performance they deserve. I know I’m a talented person and this is a gift to all Algerians.’
Gender Row boxer hits back at IBA
Lin understands why people question her due to her appearance and values ‘free speech’
IOC president Thomas Bach said this week that they were ‘born women, raised as women and have competed as women for many years’.
The IBA, banned from running their own sport at the Olympics because of long-running concerns over governance, finances and refereeing and judging, has refused to provide full details of the tests carried out, saying only that they allegedly showed both boxers had the XY chromosome.
Yu-Ting has slammed the IBA and accused the boxing organisation of ‘deliberately’ attacking her with a ‘false’ gender test.
In a stoic interview, Lin said she understands people’s questions due to her appearance and respects ‘free speech’ but would rather have a low profile.
‘Of course it annoys you when reading some remarks, but all we can do is tell ourselves we can’t control what they say. Let them talk the talk, but I have a clear conscience on this,’ Lin told CNA English News.
‘After all, we have proven it false (the IBA’s test), and the process didn’t follow any standards, but there was still a fuss.
‘I wonder if they were deliberately going after me. I was confused. It was kind of ridiculous.
‘What I cared about most was I was stripped of a medal (she had won bronze) despite working hard and a source of income was gone. As for what others or the haters said, I don’t really care,’ she said in the interview filmed ahead of the Olympics but only recently released.
On Monday, the IBA’s Russian chief Umar Kremlev held an extraordinary press conference in which he labelled Lin and Khelif ‘men’.
