- Sharron Davies is concerned that female boxers could be ‘killed’ in the ring
- Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting are at the centre of a gender feud
- Olympic organizers have defended the decision to allow both boxers to participate
Former British Olympic competitor Sharron Davies has called the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who failed gender tests, to compete in the Paris Games “madness” and warned that female boxers could be “killed”.
Algeria’s Khelif and Taiwanese fighter Yu-ting have been at the centre of a controversial gender dispute at the Games after both were given the green light to compete despite being banned from last year’s International Boxing Federation World Championships for allegedly failing a gender test.
Both boxers have now secured a guaranteed medal at the Olympic Games in their weight class.
The fury was sparked when Khelif’s strength forced Italy’s Angela Carini to retire after just 46 seconds of their first round. Celebrities including JK Rowling and Judy Murray reacted furiously to her participation in the competition.
The IOC later reversed its decision and allowed both fighters to compete in the women’s category at the Games, citing the fact that Khelif and Yu-ting are both listed as female in their passports.
Former Team GB Olympian Sharron Davies has warned that female boxers could be ‘killed’ in the ring if athletes who fail the gender test are allowed to continue competing
Algeria’s Imane Khelif (blue) is at the centre of a controversial gender row at the Olympics
Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting is also involved in the gender row after he was banned from the International Boxing Association World Championships last year for allegedly failing a gender test.
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Defeated Italian boxer Carini previously claimed she had pulled out of her match against Khelif out of fear for her safety. Now former Olympic gold and silver medallist Davies has issued similar warnings.
The 61-year-old boxer said at a press conference on Thursday: ‘It is insane to put a man in a ring with a woman in boxing and for the IOC to say that the only thing that matters to them is the information in the passport is pure neglect.
‘The duty of care has been thrown out the window and my head wants to explode…
“We’re literally at the point where a female athlete could potentially be killed if we’re not careful. It’s just that bad.”
Other boxers competing in the Games have expressed their concerns and feelings of injustice in more cryptic ways. For example, Turkey’s Esra Yildiz, who was defeated by Yu-Ting, made an “X” sign with her fingers, just as the Taiwanese boxer’s Bulgarian opponent had done in the previous match.
Italian boxer Angela Carini (pictured) was devastated after being defeated by Khelif in just 46 seconds
Imane Khelif (left) and Yu-Ting (right) both secured medals at the Olympic Games
Some female contestants, such as Svetlana Staneva, made an ‘X’ gesture after losing to Yu Ting
Many believe that the single ‘X’ symbol refers to the fact that male chromosomes are denoted by an X and a Y, while females have two X’s.
Linda Blade, co-founder of the International Consortium on Female Sport, followed Davies’ lead and stressed that the controversial gender issue was “completely avoidable”.
“Boxing is the sport with the greatest gender inequality, with men hitting 162 percent harder than women,” Blade said.
“The potential harm to women from being assaulted by an unverified male participant is catastrophic.”