In the Tuesday chaos, I forgot to write about male boxer Imane Khelif advancing to the Olympic gold medal round in the women’s welterweight division.
Yes, a male boxer will likely win the gold medal in a female boxing division.
He “defeated” Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng.
Khelif has XY chromosomes due to a chromosomal disorder. My friend Carole Hooven explained the disorder on Twitter.
But overall, as Hooven said, those born with the disorder are male.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) banned Khelif from the female division because two sex tests showed the XY chromosomes.
The IBA told the IOC in June 2023 about Khelif’s sex tests:
This situation epitomizes the importance of protecting both safe sport, and the integrity of sport in which the Olympic Movement is jointly committed to.We trust that you will give this matter the utmost attention it deserves, and you have our absolute support on doing what is necessary to ensure the safety of competing athletes.
Taiwan male boxer Lin Yu-ting competes in the semi-final today in the female featherweight division.
Those of us who have made protecting female sports one of their top priorities have known about Khelif and Yu-Ting.
But Khelif received national attention after he dominated Italian Angela Carini in 45 seconds.
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