Hergie Bacyadan: Female Paris Olympics boxer who identifies as a man calls for fighters who fail gender tests like Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting to be BANNED from the Olympics
- Bacyadan is the only transgender boxer competing in Paris
- Flew under the radar before outrage arose over the fighters
- Filipino boxer has important reason to want them banned
Hergie Bacyadan identifies as a man. He fought women at the Paris Olympics without any outrage or fanfare—and now he wants athletes who fail the gender test banned from competitive boxing.
Algerian fighter Imane Khelif dominated the news after beating Italian Angela Carini in just 46 seconds, despite failing a gender test last year.
Now the spotlight will also be on Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who is hoping for a place in the featherweight medal rounds and is on a collision course with Australia’s Tina Rahimi.
Last year, both Khelif and Lin were found to have failed the gender test and were disqualified from competing in the world championships.
The president of the International Boxing Association (IBA) said a test showed Khelif, 25, has male XY chromosomes. She is not transgender.
Both fighters have a female passport and despite the suspensions they were still allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris.
Their admission to the Paris Games is the result of a rift between the International Olympic Committee and the IBA.
The IOC stripped the organization of its right to host Olympic competitions and took over the sport’s governance during the Paris Olympics.
Hergie Bacyadan identifies as a transgender man and was allowed to compete against women at the Olympic Games in Paris
Bacyadan (right) was defeated this week in Paris by Chinese Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Qian Li (photo)
Lin is not transgender and Khelif reportedly said she is not intersex, but their admission has sparked a heated debate on social media over whether they should be allowed to compete with biological women.
Hergie Bacyadan is, by his own account, the only transgender boxer competing in the Paris Olympics.
The Filipino fighter, who identifies as transgender, was cleared by the IOC to compete in Paris. In his opening bout, he lost to reigning Asian Games champion and Tokyo silver medalist Li Quan of China, a biological woman.
“It’s sad to think about losing, but I’m still very grateful to have made it to the Olympics,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.
“It’s very important to me.”
That opportunity came and went without the attention Khelif and Yu-ting attracted.
Bacyadan said athletes with the male chromosome and elevated testosterone levels should not be allowed to compete against biological women.
Algerian fighter Imane Khelif was born female but has been disqualified from the 2023 world championships after reportedly undergoing a test that showed she has the male XY chromosome
Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting also has the XY chromosome and was also banned from competition by the International Boxing Association in 2023
Although Bacyadan identifies as male, he has never formally transitioned and has not undergone hormone therapy.
Will never take ‘T’ [testosterone] and will never appear on ‘T’ but I still consider myself a trans man because my heart says so,” he posted on Instagram.
Bacyadan’s coaching staff still refers to him as “she” and “her” and claims that the fighter is biologically 100 percent female.
A Filipino translator said, “She competes in the women’s competition, but outside the boxing ring, in her heart and mind, she is just like a man.
“Her tests are all Y, so she doesn’t know if there are other competitors.”
Bacyadan identifies as male, but has not undergone hormone therapy or used testosterone, which would jeopardize his boxing career
When asked whether XY athletes should be allowed to compete against women, Bacyadan replied, “In sparring that’s fine, but if they have XY chromosomes during a competition, they have to abide by the rules.”
Bacyadan added on social media: “I’m trans at heart, but I didn’t take hormones or steroids to look like a man. If I compete in the women’s division, I don’t think there’s a problem.”
He also vowed to fight for his country again.
“To the entire Philippines, I am sorry to disappoint you. I promise to fight for our country again and work harder in the future.”