Taiwan’s sports administration has threatened legal action against the International Boxing Association over the “continued publication of false information” regarding gender eligibility at the Olympics.
In a chaotic news conference on Monday, boxing’s controversial body doubled down on claims that the International Olympic Committee had put women’s sport at risk by allowing Lin Yu Ting, who represents Chinese Taipei, and Imane Khelifi, of Algeria, to compete in Paris.
Boxers guaranteed at least a bronze medal were banned from the world championships by the IBA last year after boxing’s governing body said it carried out tests that concluded they did not meet gender-matching standards. .
Umar Kremlev, the Russian head of the organization, said during a video conference, apparently from his office in Moscow, that the athletes had been found to have “male testosterone levels”. He also insulted IOC president Thomas Bach, describing the Games’ opening ceremony as “a terrible thing for all Christians and Muslims around the world”.
At a press conference, IBA medical representative Ioannis Philippatos and the organisation’s chief executive Chris Roberts, a former Scottish boxing boss, said the athletes had undergone chromosomal tests rather than testosterone. “The results of the chromosomal tests showed that both boxers were ineligible,” Roberts said.
Roberts added that he could not comment further after receiving letters that morning from authorities in Taiwan and Algeria warning him not to release personal information about the boxers.
On Tuesday, Taiwan’s sports administration published its displeasure with the IBA’s continued commentary on the case, which first made headlines after Italy’s Angela Carini pulled out of her fight against Khelief after 46 seconds, claiming she had never been hit harder.
“The sports administration seriously protests against the International Boxing Association’s continuous publication of false information, concealment of facts and attempts to obstruct the normal course of the event, regardless of the rights and interests of the athletes.
“The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee has also appointed a lawyer to send a warning letter to the IBA. It reserves the right to appeal and will file a lawsuit if necessary.”
Last year, the IBA was stripped of its regulator status due to failed governance and financial reforms, and the IOC described the organization’s alleged tests as lacking credibility. Both boxers are said to be eligible to compete in Paris because they were registered as women at birth and have passports that classify them as female.
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IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the IBA’s press conference at the Salon des Mirrors in central Paris highlighted the body’s lack of capacity to fulfill its role. “I am not going to comment on yesterday’s chaotic scenes,” he said. “It clearly shows that the sport needs a new federation to handle boxing.
“If you ever needed any proof that the IBA is unfit to run boxing, just look at the key members of the IBA who took part in that travesty.”
Adams added that the IOC wanted to see boxing at the 2028 Games, but that the sport needed to come together to form a new governing body. He said. “We’d like to see boxing, we’d like to see boxing in the Los Angeles program. Now the boxing community needs to organize itself for the sport and the athletes.”