As controversy continues to linger around Olympic women’s boxing, there apparently won’t be many additional answers.
While speaking at what many described as a mess of a press conference on Monday in Paris, International Boxing Association (IBA) secretary general Chris Roberts poured cold water on the idea of revealing why Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships.
“It’s never been our intention to bring any of this about,” Roberts said. “We’re not allowed to give any information, but you can read between the lines what it means.”
Roberts added that the IBA was issued letters by the boxers’ countries “informing us we can’t disclose any info on boxers.”
“We’re not in a position to share any results, but the IOC have seen them,” Roberts said. “You can see what that means. Again, read between the lines.”
As to why Khelif and Yu-ting were disqualified from the World Championships in the first place, Roberts was largely mum.
“The results that were brought out were inconsistent,” Roberts said. “On the 17th of March, 2023, both boxers were asked to take a further blood test. It demonstrated the chromosomes that we refer to the technical competition rules that make both boxers ineligible.”
Multiple reporters asserted that the Parisian press conference was fraught with ethical and procedural issues.
“I attended this IBA news conference. It was so bad that the moderator apologized to a few of us reporters out on the sidewalk after and said it was the most embarrassing thing he’s ever been part of,” The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach wrote on X.
The International Olympic Committee has not only allowed both Khelif and Yu-ting to compete, but even gone as far as to suggest that the IBA is prejudiced.
“Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination,” the IOC wrote in a statement. … These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.”
Khelif beat Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, 5-0, on Saturday to reach the women’s 66 kg semifinals.
The Algerian will fight Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Yu-ting downed Bulgaria’s Svetlana Kamenova Staneva, 5-0, on Sunday in the women’s 57kg semifinals and will square off with Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman on Wednesday.
