Olympic boxing press conference: IBA fires back at IOC over Imane Khalif gender controversy in chaotic scene

Bryan Murphy

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Olympic boxing press conference: IBA fires back at IOC over Imane Khalif gender controversy in chaotic scene image

The 2024 Olympics have produced plenty of thrilling moments, celebratory results and viral highlights. But the biggest conversation stemming from Paris continues to be in the boxing ring.

The ongoing controversy surrounding Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taipei's Lin Yu-ting is the loudest talking point of the Summer Games.

The pair of boxers competing in the women's division have been in the spotlight after it was revealed that the two were banned 2023 World Championships due to  failed gender eligibility tests administered by the controversial International Boxing Association.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which supported the boxers' participation in the 2024 Paris Games, has taken shots at the credibility of the IBA's test. On Monday, the IBA held a press conference to give its side of the situation, but the result was a chaotic scene that left more questions than answers. 

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Olympic boxing press conference

The IBA held a press conference Monday in which the organization slammed the IOC's decision to allow Khelif and Lin to partake in the Olympics. The two were disqualified from the IBA's 2023 competition after the tests revealed that both have XY chromosomes, according to the IBA.

The IBA previously sanctioned boxing in the Olympics, but the IOC parted ways with the organization in 2023 after numerous issues.

According to the IBA, the results of Khelif's and Lin's failed tests were sent to the IOC, which the IOC didn’t acknowledge until after that information came to light Saturday via a report by 3 Wire Sports.

"Our problem is that we have two blood exams with karyotype of men," said Dr. Ioannis Filippatos, the former chair of the IBA’s medical committee. "This is the answer from laboratory. This is not my answer. This is answer from laboratory."

With that said, the IOC dismissed the results because of its concerns with the IBA, who administered the tests. 

"I can't tell you if [the test results] were credible or not credible because the source from which they came is not credible, and the basis for the question is not credible, and the test was not credible," said IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

The IBA did not do itself any favors during the press conference in clearing up the controversy.

The group previously stated that "the athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential." But IBA president Umar Kremlev contradicted that statement Monday.

"We got the test results that they allowed us to take themselves and these tests show they have a high level of testosterone like a man," Kremlev said through a translator. "Man's level of testosterone."

MORE: Who is Imane Khelif? More to know about the Algerian boxer

Kremlev also went on a number of tangents, including bashing the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics and accusing IOC president Thomas Bach of corruption, taking the focus away from the controversy at hand. 

Those in attendance referred to the press conference as a whole as "extraordinary" and "farcical," citing lengthy delays, electric issues and numerous interruptions.

Khelif is set to take part in a semifinal bout in the women's 66kg weight class on Tuesday, Aug. 7. Lin will fight in a semifinal bout in the women's 57kg weight class on Wednesday, Aug. 8.

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.