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IBA to sue IOC following Trump’s order against transgender athletes
Imane Khelif of Algeria. PHOTO/REUTERS
What you need to know:
Imane Khelif, of Algeria, and Lin Yu-ting, of Chinese Taipei, won gold medals in the Paris Games but their participation was one of the most contentious issues, especially after Khelif’s first opponent surrendered in 46 seconds, crying claiming she had never been hit as hard.
Following US President Donald Trump’s February 5 executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” the International Boxing Association (IBA) has announced intent to sue the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the U.S., France and Switzerland for allowing transgender boxers in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Imane Khelif, of Algeria, and Lin Yu-ting, of Chinese Taipei, won gold medals in the Paris Games but their participation was one of the most contentious issues, especially after Khelif’s first opponent surrendered in 46 seconds, crying claiming she had never been hit as hard.
The IBA had banned Khelif and Lin from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championship claiming they had failed gender eligibility tests.
But the IOC admitted them into the Paris Olympics, which “may serve as grounds for criminal prosecution,” according to a February 10 statement by IBA president Umar Kremlev.
“According to the Swiss law,” the IBA said, “any action or inaction that poses a safety risk to competition participants warrants investigation and may serve as grounds for criminal prosecution.” It added that similar complaints will be filed with the Attorneys General of France and the USA.
However, the IOC has consistently said the boxers in question are neither transgender, nor men, as Trump prefers to label them. It insists that they were assigned female at birth and identify as women, and complied with all the rules for the Olympic tournament.
IBA vs. IOC series
These legal threats are the latest episode in a long feud between the IBA and the IOC, escalated by the IOC’s expulsion of IBA from the Olympic Movement in June 2023, with Kremlev and outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach the main actors.
Kremlev insists that Bach should shoulder the responsibility for allowing “men to compete against women.”
Citing issues related to governance, bout officiating and financial transparency, the IOC suspended the IBA in 2019, and has run boxing tournaments at the Tokyo and Paris Games. The IOC also warned that without a more credible international governing body than IBA, boxing won’t happen in Los Angeles 2028.
IOC vs IBA SERIES
2016: IOC forces IBA to suspend Rio 2016 ring officials
2019: IOC suspends IBA over finances and ethics
June 2022: IOC announces IBA won’t manage the Paris 2024 boxing pathway
April 2023: USA and co. create World Boxing
June 2023: IOC expels IBA from Olympic Movement
December 2023: IBA bans dual membership of federations
April 2024: CAS dismisses IBA appeal against IOC dismissal
May 2024: IOC meets World Boxing
September 2024: Swiss federal court rejects IBA’s appeal vs CAS
December 2024: IBA amends constitution to allow dual membership
January 2025: IBA asks Trump to intervene
February 2025: IBA threatens legal action vs IOC for transgender boxers
