Paris Olympics boxing gender debate: Why was Imane Khelif allowed to compete against Angela Carini?

What are the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) rules regarding eligibility for female competitions and how does it differ from the IBA and medal-heavy Olympic sports like athletics and swimming?

Why was Imane Khelif allowed to compete at the Olympics?

Boxing being a contact sport, the IBA has been firm about who cannot compete in women’s competitions, going by their version of the sequence of events.

The IBA, in a statement on Thursday, said the two boxers, the other being Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting, also in Paris, did not ‘meet eligibility criteria to compete within the female category’ based on tests conducted at independent laboratories at two World Championships; 2023 in New Delhi and 2022 in Istanbul.

The IBA, in minutes of its Board of Directors Meeting in New Delhi, also mentioned that these two boxers were tested at the previous World Championships in Istanbul. But they competed in Turkey because the results of the tests were out only after the conclusion of the championships.

However, the IOC derecognised the IBA in June last year following disputes related to management and finances. So boxing at the Olympic Games is being conducted by the IOC-appointed Paris Boxing Unit, which means rules for eligibility are not what they were under the IBA.

“They are women in their passports and it’s stated that this is the case, that they are female,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams had said after it emerged that Khelif and Yu-ting would be at the Olympics.

Do IOC and IBA regulations differ?

Yes. In 2021, the IOC left it to international sports federations to develop their own set of rules but keeping in mind key principles of ‘fairness’, ‘inclusion’, ‘non-discrimination’, ‘evidence-based approach’, ‘no presumption of advantage’, and ‘prevention of harm’. This advisory meant every sport could have its own set of regulations. Testosterone levels were no longer part of IOC’s regulations.

Before this, the IOC had specified a testosterone limit – below 10 nanomoles per litre (nmol/L) for women athletes who had transitioned from male to female if they wanted to participate in the female category.

What has the IBA and IOC said since Angela Carini withdrew?

The IBA said that both Khelif and Yu-Ting did not undergo a ‘testosterone examination’ but were subject to a ‘separate and recognized test’. The IBA also said the details of the tests ‘remain confidential’. “While IBA remains committed to ensuring competitive fairness in all of our events, we express concern over the inconsistent application of eligibility criteria by other sporting organizations, including those overseeing the Olympic Games,” the IBA said in a statement.

The IOC has since expressed concern about the abuse the two boxers have received while hitting out at the IBA for taking arbitrary decisions. “These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA,” the IOC said in its statement. “Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.”

How do other sports regulate?

World Athletics has what it calls ‘eligibility regulations for female classification’, in which DSD (Differences in Sex Development) athletes have a testosterone limit. DSD athletes must keep the testosterone level to below 2.5 nmol/L for at least 24 months before they become eligible to participate in any event.

Before 2023, the regulations were a little more lenient as the cap was below 5 nmols/L in order to participate in events from 400 metres to a mile, while there were no restrictions on other events. Those with XY chromosomes (male) and a blood testosterone level in the male range fall in the DSD category.

In June 2022, FINA, the world swimming body, announced a new ‘gender inclusion policy’ that only allows swimmers who transitioned (from male to female) before age 12 to compete in women’s events. Last year, the International Cycling Union banned any athlete who transitioned after male puberty from competing in women’s races. The International Rugby Union also banned transgender women from competing in women’s international matches last year.