Olympics 2024 gender row boxer Imane Khelif set to turn pro after winning gold in Paris

Every idiosyncratic has the close to practise athletics without discrimination.

All athletes participating successful the boxing tourney of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and introduction regulations, arsenic good arsenic each applicable aesculapian regulations acceptable by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU). As with erstwhile Olympic boxing competitions, the sex and property of the athletes are based connected their passport.

These rules besides applied during the qualification period, including the boxing tournaments of the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games, the advertisement hoc 2023 African qualifying tourney successful Dakar (SEN) and 2 satellite qualifying tournaments held successful Busto Arsizio (ITA) and Bangkok (THA) successful 2024, which progressive a full of 1,471 antithetic boxers from 172 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the Boxing Refugee Team and Individual Neutral Athletes, and featured implicit 2,000 qualification bouts.

The PBU utilized the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules arsenic a baseline to make its regulations for Paris 2024. This was to minimise the interaction connected athletes’ preparations and warrant consistency betwixt Olympic Games. These Tokyo 2020 rules were based connected the post-Rio 2016 rules, which were successful spot earlier the suspension of the boxing International Federation by the IOC successful 2019 and the consequent withdrawal of its designation successful 2023.

We person seen successful reports misleading accusation astir 2 pistillate athletes competing astatine the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The 2 athletes person been competing successful planetary boxing competitions for galore years successful the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.

These 2 athletes were the victims of a abrupt and arbitrary determination by the IBA. Towards the extremity of the IBA World Championships successful 2023, they were abruptly disqualified without immoderate owed process.

According to the IBA minutes disposable connected their website, this determination was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board lone ratified it afterwards and lone subsequently requested that a process to travel successful akin cases successful the aboriginal beryllium established and reflected successful the IBA Regulations. The minutes besides accidental that the IBA should “establish a wide process connected sex testing”.

The existent aggression against these 2 athletes is based wholly connected this arbitrary decision, which was taken without immoderate due process – particularly considering that these athletes had been competing successful top-level contention for galore years.

Such an attack is contrary to bully governance.

Eligibility rules should not beryllium changed during ongoing competition, and immoderate regularisation alteration indispensable travel due processes and should beryllium based connected technological evidence.

The IOC is committed to protecting the quality rights of each athletes participating successful the Olympic Games arsenic per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework connected Human Rights. The IOC is saddened by the maltreatment that the 2 athletes are presently receiving.

The IBA’s designation was withdrawn by the IOC successful 2023 pursuing its suspension successful 2019. The withdrawal of designation was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). See the IOC’s connection pursuing the ruling.

The IOC has made it wide that it needs National Boxing Federations to scope a statement astir a caller International Federation successful bid for boxing to beryllium included connected the sports programme of the Olympic Games LA28.