The Years-Long Turmoil Behind the Olympic Boxing Controversy About Gender Eligibility

As viewers celebrate medal triumphs, personal bests, and Olympic records, the 2024 Paris Olympics hasn’t been without its controversies, including one involving just two of the more than 11,000 athletes participating. Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting have been caught in an ongoing battle between Russia and the West for control of the sport, with issues over gender raised when it was convenient as part of this dispute. In 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the International Boxing Association (IBA) in an attempt to force it to change its operation due to concerns about financial mismanagement and leadership issues. When that didn’t happen, it voted 69-1 (with 10 abstentions) to cease recognising the IBA as boxing’s governing body....