IOC Chief Condemns Unacceptable Hate Speech Targeting Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting at Olympics

Boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan have recently faced significant and intense scrutiny concerning their gender.

PARIS, France — IOC President Thomas Bach addressed the escalating situation at the Paris Olympics, condemning the “hate speech” targeted at the two female boxers. “Totally unacceptable,” Bach stated during a news briefing on Saturday.

Khelif and Lin were both disqualified from the 2023 world championships amidst this controversy. The Russian-led International Boxing Association, which has had a prolonged dispute with the IOC and has been excluded from the Olympics, cited unspecified and unproven gender-based tests in their removal of the athletes 16 months ago in India.

“We will not take part in a politically motivated, cultural war,” Bach asserted. He emphasized the shared histories of Khelif and Lin, underscoring that they were born as women, raised as women, and possess passports identifying them as women. “Some want to own a definition of who is a woman,” he added.

Both Khelif and Lin had previously competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, although neither secured a medal.