Caitlyn Jenner has slammed the International Olympic Committee (IOC), saying the IOC should be ashamed of itself for allowing Imane Khelif to compete against women at the 2024 Paris Olympics after the Algerian boxer failed a gender test last year.
On Thursday in France, Khelif found herself in hot water after dominating the women’s 66kg class by beating Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds.
After the match, Carini said she had no choice but to give up. She claimed she was fighting for her life in the ring against Khelif, who was banned from the 2023 World Championships after tests revealed she had male XY chromosomes.
IOC President Thomas Bach strongly defended Khelif’s participation in the women’s sport, while critics slammed the 25-year-old for taking part in the Games.
And Jenner, who won gold in the men’s decathlon in 1976 under the name Bruce Jenner, says Khelif’s continued participation in Olympic events has “damaged” the competition.
Caitlyn Jenner didn’t hold back at the IOC when discussing the future of women’s sports
She said the inclusion of Imane Khelif in women’s boxing will only ‘harm’ the competition in Paris
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“This has hurt the Olympics so much. … Everyone’s talking about it,” Jenner told Fox News on Friday, adding that the ordeal has distracted from what athletes have accomplished so far this summer.
“It’s a shame that the IOC doesn’t protect the integrity of women’s sports, and it’s a shame that the IOC doesn’t protect the safety of women’s sports.”
Khelif will fight Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
On Saturday she defeated Hungarian Luca Anna Hamori 5-0.
The IOC defended Khelif’s eligibility ahead of her round of 16 match this weekend, as fellow boxer Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan was also the subject of controversy for the same reasons as Khelif.
Lin Yu-Ting also ran into trouble, like Khelif, because she was born with the XY chromosome
Khelif is just two medals away from gold after beating Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday
“These two athletes were victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the (International Boxing Association),” the IOC said of the 2023 fight between Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting.
‘Towards the end of the 2023 IBA World Championships, they were suddenly disqualified, without any due process.’
In the meantime, Australian Skye Nicholson, who turned pro after Tokyo, called Carini’s actions a “publicity stunt”.
“They were born female,” she said of Khelif and Yu-Ting, both of whom she fought alongside. “They were born with an XY chromosome, which is the male chromosome, but they were born with a female body, they have the physical characteristics of a woman.
“These are not born men who chose to call themselves women or identify as women to fight women.”