Independent boxing body president backs IOC's handling of gender issues at Paris Olympics
VILLEPINT, France: The head of the governing body hoping to stage the next Olympic boxing competition has said he supports the IOC's qualification policy for the Paris Olympics, and he urged those who do not have a deep understanding of gender issues to leave the decision to medical professionals and scientists.
World Boxing Federation President Boris van der Vorst told The Associated Press on Thursday that his organization will always put athlete safety first when developing its health and gender policies, while recognizing that combat sports sometimes require special considerations to protect all athletes.
Van der Vorst remains deeply dissatisfied with critics of the IOC's handling of the Olympics, particularly the eligibility of female boxers Iman Khleif of Algeria and Lin Yuting of Taiwan.
“I think it’s very important that when people have the right to compete here, we respect them,” Van der Vorst said. “I think it’s a very sad situation for all the boxers, for everyone involved here.”
The now-defunct International Boxing Association, which is being replaced by the World Boxing Association, claims the two fighters failed gender eligibility tests for the 2023 world championships after competing in amateur boxing for years.
Cleif claimed her first victory in Paris on Thursday when her opponent, Italy's Angela Carini, withdrew after just 46 seconds. Although Carini said she did not mean to make a political comment about Cleif, her tearful withdrawal from the fight sparked a global outcry on social media and in the Western culture wars.
“What happened today should not have happened,” Van der Vorst told the AP. “The pressure from social media, from the media, from everyone, it doesn’t help much and it’s getting into everyone’s head.”
The criticism of the two boxers is based on the policies and decisions of the IBA, which has been absent from the Olympic movement since 2019 after years of concerns about the IOC's leadership, integrity and financial transparency.
The IBA disqualified Khelif from the world championships, citing high testosterone levels, and also stripped Lin of her bronze medal, claiming she failed to meet eligibility criteria on an unspecified biochemical test.
Van der Vorst's WBA is a coalition of dozens of countries that broke away from the federation after an internal power struggle failed to oust Russian President Umar Kremlev. The IOC's special forces have already staged two Olympic boxing events in recent years.
If World Boxing is approved as the governing body of the Olympic Games, it will be responsible for major events throughout the Olympic cycle. If World Boxing is not successful, boxing may be removed from the Olympic program.
“It’s too early” to know the WBA’s exact policy on gender identity, Van der Vorst said, given the sport’s unique physical requirements and dangers.
“First of all, safety comes first,” Van der Vorst said. “But I think in combat sports, there are probably other reasons why you have to deal with a situation like this.”
The IOC uses rules from 2016 to determine boxers' gender eligibility, while several Olympic governing bodies have updated their gender rules in the past three years, including the World Aquatics Championships, World Athletics and the International Cycling Union. Athletics also updated its rules for athletes with gender differences last year.
“We will assign our medical board to come up with a policy as soon as possible after the Games, which is already underway,” Van der Vorst said. “But they have to finalize the policy first, and the issues in general are very complicated. You need good testing, not just gender testing, but medical testing. More importantly, I think it’s not up to you and me. It’s up to the (professional) people involved in the testing.”
Van der Voorst and other members of his organization are in Paris as observers and, at times, have been selecting additional countries to join the only governing body with a chance of including boxing in the Olympic programme when the IOC decides on the sport's fate in early 2025. The World Boxing Federation currently has 37 members.
The World Boxing Federation is also studying the structure of major events it hopes to hold, including the Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal in 2026 and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Both Taiwan and Algeria remain members of the IBA, but Lin competed in the world boxing championships in Pueblo, Colorado, last spring. She lost her opening fight to Brazilian Olympian Julien Romeu.
Van der Vorst left the eventful day disappointed with the illogical conclusion and the widespread speculation on social media about the two fighters.
“I have never seen a single test that proved (a boxer) was transgender,” Van der Vorst said. “That’s why it’s not very respectful to talk about boxers who compete here. That’s what I try to emphasize. When there’s evidence, it’s a different situation. But I haven’t seen anything that proves that.”
