The International Boxing Association (IBA) does not seem to be afraid of recent threats made by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif to take legal action against them. This stems from the IBA initially releasing a statement in which they threatened to take legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing Khelif and Lin YU-ting to compete in the amateur female division during the Paris Olympics last year. There, Khelif won a gold medal in the women’s 66kg (welterweight) competition. As for YU-ting, she won gold in the featherweight division, becoming the first Taiwanese boxer to do so.
IBA president Umar Kremlev released a statement, suggesting they welcome the opportunity to prove in court that Khelif and YU-ting did not meet the eligibility requirements to compete in the women’s competition.
“We received great news that the IOC will face the consequences of their decisions, as Imane Khelif is going to proceed with legal actions against the IBA, We are really glad, as we will be able to prove in court that Khelif, based on eligibility criteria, was not allowed to compete in female boxing events in order to guarantee safety and fair chance to women competitors.”
“We will insist on the forensic medical examination, which will prove our position, and we will communicate the outcome accordingly. Thomas Bach (the IOC president) will be personally accountable to the law for what he did.”
It was added that the executive order for United States President Donald Trump “Keeping men out of women’s sports” lends credence to their attempts to uphold the integrity of female sports and protect female boxers against unfair competition.
Earlier in the week the IBA also claimed in a statement “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.
“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.
“The statement also added that the IBA would be filing an official complaint with the Attorney-General of Switzerland, Stefan Blätter, for the IOC’s actions that led to the two ineligible athletes competing in the 2024 Olympic tournament.
“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,” the statement said.
