The two boxers at the centre of the gender conflict at the Paris Olympics will carry their countries’ flags at the Olympic closing ceremony on Sunday evening.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting have been chosen as national flag bearers after the duo both won gold in boxing last week.
Both boxers have been the subject of a heated gender debate over the past two weeks, calling into question their suitability to compete in the women’s category of the sport.
They both endured bullying, online harassment and ridicule on their way to gold, but ultimately won the biggest prize in amateur sport.
Khelif captured gold in the light welterweight on Friday, while Lin Yu-ting dominated her Chinese opponent in the featherweight final just 24 hours later.
Khelif (left) defeated China’s Liu Yang by unanimous decision in the welterweight final on Friday
Imane Khelif won a gold medal for Algeria in the women’s welterweight on Friday night
Some fans feel that their selection as flag bearers is not only justified by their performance in the competition, but also a negative for critics and troublemakers who have spread rumors that they would not be eligible to participate.
The gender dispute began at the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, when both women’s eligibility to compete was called into question.
Khelif is said to be a transgender athlete who now competes in the women’s category after forcing her first opponent, Italy’s Angela Carini, to retire in the opening stages of their match.
Last year, the Algerian was banned from participating in last year’s world championships by the IBA, the sport’s international governing body.
Lin Yu-Ting also failed a gender test at the IBA and was expelled from the same world championships.
However, inconsistencies in the IBA’s testing protocols have come to light, as has the influence of the Russian contingent within the constituency, which has taken a hard line on gender issues.
Both boxers suffer from sexual dysfunction, a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs.
Some people with DSD are raised as female, but have XY sex chromosomes and blood testosterone levels similar to males.
On Friday, Olympic president Thomas Bach defended the right of both sides to box in Paris, but added that he would be the first to adopt an agreed “scientifically based system.”
“This system works and that’s why our decision is clear,” he said. “Women should be allowed to participate in women’s competitions and the two are women. For now, the victory is for Khelif.”
Khelif, who immediately received a phone call from the country’s president, also had a political message. “I want to tell the world that they should commit to the Olympic principles and not bully people,” she said.
“This is the message of the Olympics. I hope people stop bullying. We are at the Olympics to perform as athletes, for our families. I hope we don’t see similar attacks in the future.”
Lin Yu-Ting is Olympic champion after winning gold in women’s featherweight in Paris
Lin raised her hand after winning all three rounds and defeating Szeremeta by unanimous decision
The IOC said in a statement last week: “These two athletes were victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.
‘Towards the end of the 2023 IBA World Championships, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.
‘According to the IBA minutes, which are available on its website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.’
Some sports have restrictions on the amount of testosterone athletes can produce in women’s competitions, while other sports ban anyone who has already reached male puberty.
The row is believed to have influenced Thomas Bach’s decision to step down as IOC president
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There is no evidence that either woman went through male puberty.
According to the IOC, the rules of participation are based on those of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and cannot be changed during a competition.
The governing body added: ‘The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently experiencing. Everyone has the right to practice sport without discrimination.’
The row is believed to have played a key role in IOC President Thomas Bach’s decision to announce he will step down from his post next year.
Bach’s summer was dominated by questions about the IOC’s decision to allow Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting to compete at this summer’s Olympic Games.
The Russian-dominated International Boxing Federation claimed the boxers had failed a gender test, disqualifying them from competing in the world championships.
But the Olympic president remains steadfast in his support for the decision, recently defending the right of both sides to box at the Games.