The head of the International Olympic Committee has complained that there is “no scientifically solid system” of identifying a man from a woman.
IOC Chairman Thomas Bach made the comments after being asked about recent controversy surrounding a female boxing match in which one of the fighters had abnormally elevated testosterone levels.
“We have said from the very beginning, if somebody is presenting us a scientifically solid system how to identify men and women, we are the first ones to do it,” Bach said. “We do not like this uncertainty. We do not like it for the overall situation for nobody.
“So, we would be more than pleased to look into it,” he continued. “But what is not possible is that somebody is saying, you know, ‘this is not a woman’ just by looking at somebody or by falling prey to a defamation campaign by not a credible organization.”
IOC is gaslighting the world. Bach says there’s no solid scientific way to tell who is a woman! He is taking us all for fools. pic.twitter.com/imUGgwnTv3
— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) August 9, 2024
Bach’s remarks come amid controversy at the Paris games surrounding two allegedly female boxers, Imane Khelif of Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, were at the center of these debates.
Both athletes were reportedly born as biological women and were cleared to compete in the Olympics. However, they had previously been excluded from other competitions due to their high testosterone levels.
On Friday evening, Khelif took the gold medal in women’s boxing after defeating China’s Yang Liu, a victory that will inevitably spark further debate about fairness in women’s sports.
RETWEET! The IOC has failed women.
A male boxer is now the female Olympic champion.
Imane Khelif beats Yang Liu.
Male power smashes female talent#Paris2024 #ImaneKhelif#xx pic.twitter.com/mtgRBZ1kl8— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) August 9, 2024
