Shades of grey in the Olympics gender row
The recent boxing match between Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Italy’s Angela Carini has sparked a heated debate on gender. Here are the many sides of the story
It is, by far, the most contentious 46 seconds that the Paris Olympics has seen. On August 1, 2024, a few brisk punches were exchanged between Algerian Imane Khelif and Italian Angela Carini in the women’s 66 kg preliminary boxing match. In under a minute, Carini abandoned the match and Khelif emerged as the winner.
After the match, Carini told BBC Sport, “I wasn't able to finish the match. I felt a strong pain in my nose and I said [to myself] for the experience that I have and the maturity as a woman that I have, I said I hope my nation won't take it badly, I hope my dad won't take it badly - but I stopped, I said stop for myself.”
Italy’s Prime minister, Georgia Meloni commented on the matter, as recorded by the Associated Press, saying, “I think that athletes with male genetic characteristics should not be allowed to compete in women’s competitions, and not because one wants to discriminate against anyone but to protect the right of female athletes to be able to compete on equal terms.”
Further, on her X account, Meloni added, “I know you won't give up, Angela, and I know that one day you will earn with effort and sweat what you deserve. In a finally fair competition.” Her statement garnered several comments - some supporting Carini, others supporting Khelif, and many speculating on Khelif’s biological sex.
The more recent news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat for being overweight, by roughly 100 gm, in an altogether different sport of wrestling, has once again sent social media abuzz. Some social media users are attempting to draw parallels between the dramatically different situations by claiming that rules for gender need to be as black-and-white as the rules with regard to weight.
But the noise on social media has drowned out the facts. Payoshni Mitra, athlete rights advocate and executive director of Humans of Sport said, “A spectacle [is being made] around mega sporting events. This is particularly done by lobby groups, and federations with an agenda to garner public opinion. But no one cares for the athletes and their well-being.”
With a great deal of disinformation and/or misinformation surrounding the issue, here’s what we know and what we don’t know with regard to gender controversy: The root of the controversy lies in the World Boxing Championships in 2023, held in New Delhi. During the 2023 games, the IBA (International Boxing Association) was the sanctioning body for the sport. During the event, Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were disqualified by the IBA, claiming the athletes were ineligible.
Just prior to the controversial 2024 match, in Paris, the IBA released a statement saying that the ‘disqualification was a result of failure to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition,’ as set by the IBA regulations.
The statement further stated that in 2023 the, ‘athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential’, and that Khelif (and Lin) were found to have ‘competitive advantages over other female competitors.’
Khelif’s 2023 disqualification by the IBA — a Russian-dominated sports body — was deemed biased due to its timing. The disqualification came within days of Khelif winning an early-round match against Azalia Amineva, a previously unbeaten Russian. This disqualification meant that the Russian boxer’s official record was once again set straight with no losses.
In response to the IBA’s recent statements, the IOC pushed back by stressing that the IBA’s recognition itself was withdrawn in 2023, a decision that was upheld by the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sports). The IOC further stated that Imane’s disqualification by the IBA was ‘a sudden and arbitrary decision’, and had taken place ‘without due process’.
The flames were fuelled yet again, post the contentious boxing match, on August 5 2024, when the IBA held a press conference in Paris which multiple news organisations described as ‘chaotic’. Here once again the IBA said: “The results of the chromosome tests demonstrated both boxers were ineligible,” while admitting that the tests and the results thereof were confidential.
IBA president Umar Kremlev also reportedly said that the tests had shown that both boxers had high levels of testosterone. But the IBA's doctor, Ioannis Filippatos, said testosterone had not been tested for. Moreover, the IBA had also stated on July 31, 2024, that no testosterone test had taken place and had placed reliance upon alleged chromosome tests. The contradictory information has only led to greater speculation and has further reduced the credibility of the IBA.
In an interview with BBC sports editor Dan Roan on August 1, 2024, IBA chief executive Chris Roberts said male XY chromosomes were found in ‘both cases’. Roberts said there were ‘different strands involved in that’ and therefore the body could not commit to referring to the fighters as ‘biologically male’.
On the other hand, IOC has repeatedly stated that, “As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport”. In various statements, IOC via representatives, has stated that Khelif (and Yu-ting) are ‘born as a woman, raised as a woman, and have passport as a woman. And have competed for many years as a woman. And this is the clear definition of a woman.”
No proof in the form of medical test results or laboratory tests has been disclosed by either of the warring factions while stressing the privacy of the athletes.
To set the record state on gender variations, GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organisation, and InterACT, which works to empower intersex youth, have released a fact sheet. The sheet acknowledges that there is no substantiated information on Khelif’s sex traits. However, to combat the misinformation on biological sex, the sheet explains that there are variations in sex traits or differences in sexual development (DSDs).
The NHS (National Health Services in the United Kingdom) also recognises DSD which, simply put, are a group of conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs. Some with DSDs are raised female but may have sex chromosomes other than XX, or elevated testosterone levels.
Nadeem Rais, a senior endocrinologist, based in Mumbai, explains that there are many different types of DSDs. He explained: “A child may be born with female genital appearance, but may also have internal testes in the pelvis, and may carry the XY chromosome”. He said that for those with typical external sex characteristics, the detection is often delayed, till puberty. For instance, when menarche is not reached by a female teenager, further testing may reveal the DSD. Other DSDs can be easily detected at birth due to atypical genital appearances.
DSDs can co-exist with high testosterone levels as is the case with South African runner, Caster Semenya, whose prolonged battle continues before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Semenya is challenging the World Athletics regulations that female athletes with DSDs must medically reduce their testosterone levels to qualify for participation.
The recent boxing row has highlighted the fact that biological sex and gender lie across a spectrum. But even in days gone by, when sex was defined in the binary of male and female, gender remained a contentious issue at the Olympics.
From 1968 to 1998, female athletes were required to prove their femininity. The premise was that it was necessary to prevent men from posing as women and using their innate genetic advantage to win the competition unfairly. At the time, the tests involved visual inspection of anatomy dubbed the ‘nude parade’. If a woman wanted to participate in the Olympics, she had no choice but to undergo the examination. Eventually, the Olympics moved on to more sophisticated testing — cellular tests, gene tests, etc.
Today, the IOC guidelines aptly titled, “IOC framework on fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations" seek to ‘promote a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.’ However, the guidelines are not binding law. In fact, the guidelines acknowledge the authority of the governing body of each sport to determine whether or not an athlete has a disproportionate advantage over their peers. And so the gender wars continue.
But are there any real-world solutions? Should players be matched on testosterone and chromosomal levels? It’s not quite as simple. Because such compulsory tests would mean subjecting players to many unnecessary and often humiliating medical tests, infringing upon their rights. Moreover, where does one draw the line in terms of levelling the playing field? Should limb length also be measured? In such cases, Michael Phelps has an atypical, advantageous wing span, wherein his arm span is more than his height.
When questioned about solutions, Mitra said: “I cannot comment on solutions, nor is it my job. However, the IOC’s decision with regard to Khelif is laudable and reflects a commitment towards human rights.”
Meanwhile, the two boxers at the heart of the controversy have moved on, with Carini publicly apologising: “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.” Khelif, on her part, continues to soar, as she storms into the women’s boxing finals after beating Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng, slated for August 10.
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