03:04Mandatory credit: IOC News use only Restrix: Content may only be used for up to 30 days following the live broadcast
International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams defended two boxers at the centre of an ongoing gender row while speaking at a daily news conference in Paris on Friday.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting were cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics despite being disqualified from last year's IBA World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests.
"We've seen the reports, misleading information about two female athletes competing in the Olympic Games Paris 2024," Adams told journalists.
"The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women's category, including at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020," he continued. "in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process."
On Thursday, questions were raised about Khelif's participation at the games as Italian boxer Angela Carini quit her opening bout against the Algerian after just 46 seconds.
Carini said she 'couldn't finish the match' and had to 'preserve her life' after sustaining heavy blows to her face, complaining of 'severe pain' in her nose. The Italian boxer later apologised to Khelif for leaving the ring without shaking her hand.
Addressing calls for Khelif to be disqualified from the Olympics, Adams told journalists the Algerian boxer was "born female, was registered as female, lived her life as a female."
"There has been some confusion; somehow it's a man fighting or a woman; this is just not the case," he said. "This is not a man fighting a woman, and I think we need to get that out."
Adams went on to describe the idea of athletes undergoing 'sex tests' as a 'minefield', arguing that nobody can agree on a 'criteria'.
"Everyone wants a black-and-white explanation of how we can determine this. That explanation does not exist either in the scientific community or anywhere else," he said.
"I've talked to some of those athletes who underwent sex tests in their teens; it was pretty disgraceful, and luckily, that is behind us," the spokesperson added.
Khelif (25) was named the victor in Thursday's bout and will go on to face Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori in the quarter-final on Saturday.
The IOC replaced the International Boxing Association (IBA) as the sport's world governing body in 2023 and bases its gender eligibility rules on its "Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations" framework.
'This is not a man fighting a woman!' - IOC spox defends Algerian boxer amid Olympics gender eligibility row
International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams defended two boxers at the centre of an ongoing gender row while speaking at a daily news conference in Paris on Friday.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting were cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics despite being disqualified from last year's IBA World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests.
"We've seen the reports, misleading information about two female athletes competing in the Olympic Games Paris 2024," Adams told journalists.
"The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women's category, including at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020," he continued. "in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process."
On Thursday, questions were raised about Khelif's participation at the games as Italian boxer Angela Carini quit her opening bout against the Algerian after just 46 seconds.
Carini said she 'couldn't finish the match' and had to 'preserve her life' after sustaining heavy blows to her face, complaining of 'severe pain' in her nose. The Italian boxer later apologised to Khelif for leaving the ring without shaking her hand.
Addressing calls for Khelif to be disqualified from the Olympics, Adams told journalists the Algerian boxer was "born female, was registered as female, lived her life as a female."
"There has been some confusion; somehow it's a man fighting or a woman; this is just not the case," he said. "This is not a man fighting a woman, and I think we need to get that out."
Adams went on to describe the idea of athletes undergoing 'sex tests' as a 'minefield', arguing that nobody can agree on a 'criteria'.
"Everyone wants a black-and-white explanation of how we can determine this. That explanation does not exist either in the scientific community or anywhere else," he said.
"I've talked to some of those athletes who underwent sex tests in their teens; it was pretty disgraceful, and luckily, that is behind us," the spokesperson added.
Khelif (25) was named the victor in Thursday's bout and will go on to face Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori in the quarter-final on Saturday.
The IOC replaced the International Boxing Association (IBA) as the sport's world governing body in 2023 and bases its gender eligibility rules on its "Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations" framework.
Mandatory credit: IOC News use only Restrix: Content may only be used for up to 30 days following the live broadcast
International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams defended two boxers at the centre of an ongoing gender row while speaking at a daily news conference in Paris on Friday.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting were cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics despite being disqualified from last year's IBA World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests.
"We've seen the reports, misleading information about two female athletes competing in the Olympic Games Paris 2024," Adams told journalists.
"The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women's category, including at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020," he continued. "in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process."
On Thursday, questions were raised about Khelif's participation at the games as Italian boxer Angela Carini quit her opening bout against the Algerian after just 46 seconds.
Carini said she 'couldn't finish the match' and had to 'preserve her life' after sustaining heavy blows to her face, complaining of 'severe pain' in her nose. The Italian boxer later apologised to Khelif for leaving the ring without shaking her hand.
Addressing calls for Khelif to be disqualified from the Olympics, Adams told journalists the Algerian boxer was "born female, was registered as female, lived her life as a female."
"There has been some confusion; somehow it's a man fighting or a woman; this is just not the case," he said. "This is not a man fighting a woman, and I think we need to get that out."
Adams went on to describe the idea of athletes undergoing 'sex tests' as a 'minefield', arguing that nobody can agree on a 'criteria'.
"Everyone wants a black-and-white explanation of how we can determine this. That explanation does not exist either in the scientific community or anywhere else," he said.
"I've talked to some of those athletes who underwent sex tests in their teens; it was pretty disgraceful, and luckily, that is behind us," the spokesperson added.
Khelif (25) was named the victor in Thursday's bout and will go on to face Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori in the quarter-final on Saturday.
The IOC replaced the International Boxing Association (IBA) as the sport's world governing body in 2023 and bases its gender eligibility rules on its "Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations" framework.