The president of International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bachwanted to settle the women’s boxing controversy on Saturday by saying there was “no doubt whatsoever” that those involved were women and stressing that they would not engage in a politically charged “culture war”.
“Let’s be very clear: we are talking about women’s boxing, these are two boxers who were born women, who grew up as women, who have female passports and have competed for many years as women,” he said. Bach in a press conference, offered this Sunday to review Paris 2024 as it reaches its halfway point.
“This is the clear definition of a woman, there was never any doubt that they were women,” he added, regarding the controversy that arose around the Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting and, above all, the Algerian. Imane Khelif.
For Bach, “what we see is some appropriating the definition of what a woman is” and he condemned all hate speech against them on social networks.
“I invite you to give a new science-based definition of what a woman is and how someone who can be born, raised, compete and has a female passport cannot be considered a woman. If you have something we are ready to listen and look at it, but we are not going to engage in a culture war that is sometimes politically motivated,” he said.
He also remembered being the Italian boxer Angela Carini, who fueled this controversy by retiring 46 seconds into his fight with Khelif in Paris, regretted the incident.
There is no “credibility” of the OTHER
Bach argued that it was a human right of any woman to participate in women’s competitions and pointed out that it was up to the international federations of each sport to establish specific rules in their discipline.
But in the case of boxing the situation is particular, because of International Boxing Federation (IBA), which operates Russian Umar Kremlevit is not recognized by the IOC after noticing many irregularities in recent years, which is why the IOC has committed to this sport to maintain its participation in the Games.
Bach assured that what is coming out of this unrecognized entity – which is mainly the source of the questions about the two boxers involved – has no “credibility” and that even before the start of Paris 2024 it is already conducting a “campaign of defamation.” against the Games and the IOC.
He also emphasized that this debate should not be confused with the participation of trans athletes, something he referred to, in a somewhat more evasive way, in the scientific rules by which Olympism is currently guided.
When asked about the continuation of boxing for the next editions of the Games, Bach reiterated that they want to maintain it, but pointed out that the national federations must decide to create a new international entity that will be a reliable partner for IOC if they want. their athletes to keep winning Olympic medals.
Source: La Verdad
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