IBA threatens legal action against IOC over Khelif, Lin Yu-ting's participation at the Olympics

International Boxing Association (IBA) has threatened to take legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing Imane Khelif and Lin YU-ting to participate in the female section of the amateurs during the Olympics that took place in Paris last year.

Khelif is an Algerian professional boxer. She won the gold medal in the women's 66kg (welterweight) boxing event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Ting won gold at the same global sporting showpiece and the featherweight fighter became the first Taiwanese boxer to win an Olympic gold medal.

In a statement yesterday, IBA said it prides itself on being the sole international federation committed to safeguarding the rights of athletes worldwide and upholding the integrity of female sports.

It said the executive order of US President Donald Trump of “Keeping men out of women’s sports” proves that IBA stood firm, rightfully protecting female boxers from unfair competition.

“In light of the gender eligibility issues surrounding boxers in 2022 and 2023, the IBA proactively conducted all necessary testing and subsequently banned individuals deemed ineligible from participating in women’s competitions,” the statement reads.

“Despite notifying the IOC about the disqualification of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, the IOC disregarded this critical information, allowing both athletes to compete in the qualifiers and ultimately at the 2024 Olympics, where they secured gold medals, denying opportunities to deserving female athletes.

“As a result, IBA is filing an official complaint with the Attorney General of Switzerland, Mr Stefan Blätter, regarding the IOC's actions that facilitated the participation of these ineligible athletes in the 2024 Olympic boxing tournament in Paris.

“According to the Swiss law, any action or inaction that poses a safety risk to competition participants warrants investigation and may serve as grounds for criminal prosecution. In addition, similar complaints are to be filed with the Attorneys General of France and the US.”

IBA president Umar Kremlev is quoted saying: “President Trump’s order to ban transgender athletes from women’s sport validates IBA’s efforts to protect the integrity of female sports.

“Our actions aim to ensure gender equality in boxing. We urge other international federations to follow IBA’s example, as we are uniquely positioned to address this issue and advocate for our athletes’ rights.”

He encouraged boxers who were impacted by the IOC’s decision to allow Khelif and Lin to compete in the Paris 2024 qualification tournament or Olympic boxing events to pursue legal action against IOC president Thomas Bach, sports director Kit McConnell and their respective teams.

“IBA will provide free-of-charge comprehensive legal support to our boxers in these lawsuits, as this is a clear violation of human rights, an outrage towards the female boxers and simply a crime that should be punished accordingly,” said Kremlev. “In my opinion, Thomas Bach should take full responsibility for this, as he was in charge when it happened, and he needs to compensate the damages caused, if the court or any other instance rules this.”

Looking ahead, the IBA will ensure the implementation of strict measures at the upcoming Women’s World Boxing Championships in Niš to preserve the integrity of the competitions, with a particular focus on verifying gender eligibility. “This initiative underscores the IBA's dedication to providing a fair and equitable sporting environment for all athletes,” IBA said.

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