The International Olympic Committee cautioned against creating a “witch hunt” over women’s boxing amid an escalating uproar over what one female Olympic boxing champion decried as “men fighting against women.”
Committee spokesperson Mark Adams insisted at a press conference Wednesday that two Olympic boxers — Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting — are “women,” despite being disqualified from last year’s women’s world championships for reportedly failing a gender test.
“I think we all have a responsibility by the way to try to dial down this and not turn it into some kind of witch hunt,” Mr. Adams said. “These are regular athletes who have competed for many years in boxing. They are entirely eligible. They are women on their passports.”
Among the other boxers expressing their displeasure on social media was “Iceman” John Scully, who fought for the IBF light-heavyweight world title and has trained multiple world-champion professionals since hanging up his own gloves.
“I hope you psychopaths are happy now that men are allowed to compete as women in the Olympic boxing,” he said, emphasizing what the sport is in all capital letters: “fighting.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” added an incredulous Nick Kisner, a former Maryland cruiserweight champion.
“If I was the girls in that weight class, I would have refused to compete in the tournament, to where it was just him left to compete by himself. Then they would have gotten the point,” he added.
Stoking concerns about the fights was viral footage of Khelif pummeling Mexican woman Brianda Tamara Cruz Sandoval at the International Boxing Association’s 2022 Golden Belt Series in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“Allowing male advantage into female sport unquestionably undermines both fairness and, where appropriate, safety,” he said on X. “And this is precisely what the @IOCmedia is licencing. This is unethical.”