Bulgaria, Hungary weigh in on gender row at Paris Olympics

PARIS - Hungary's boxing federation and Bulgaria's Olympic Committee have contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to object to the participation of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting at the Paris Olympics, the governing bodies said on Friday amid a gender row at the Games.

Algeria's Khelif and Asian Games and double world champion Lin were cleared to compete in Paris despite being disqualified at the 2023 World Championships after failing International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules that prevent athletes with male XY chromosomes competing in women's events.

The IOC last year stripped the IBA of its status as boxing's governing body over governance issues, and took charge of the Paris 2024 boxing competition itself, but now finds itself at the centre of a row over the pair's participation.

Welterweight Khelif next takes on Hungary's Luca Anna Hamori, while Lin faces Svetlana Kamenova Staneva of Bulgaria.

On Thursday, Hungary's Hamori said she was not scared of Khelif, while Staneva said the row was not a good look for women's boxing.

"Our federation has notified the Hungarian Olympic Committee of our objections to the participation of the Algerian athlete," Hungary's federation (MOB) said. "The MOB is ... continuously examining the means it can use to protect Hamori's rights to fair competition under the rules in force.

"The MOB president has initiated immediate consultations with the IOC Director of Sport to clarify the situation."

Taiwan's Lin won her featherweight round of 16 bout on Friday against Uzbekistan's Sidora Turdibekova on points by unanimous decision.

The Bulgarian Olympic Committee said it had voiced its concerns during a meeting with the IOC's Medical and Scientific Commission on July 27.

"We are firmly determined to defend the rights not only of Bulgarian, but of all female athletes who will be potentially harmed by the participation of representatives of the opposite sex in women's competitions.

"In addition, we express our concern for the health of female competitors, as it has been scientifically proven that men's blows are much stronger than women's and can lead to severe injuries and permanent trauma.

Kheireddine Barbari, the head of the Algerian delegation at the Paris Olympics, told reporters that the Algerian Olympic Committee supported Khelif and had filed a complaint with the IOC over the "immoral" campaign against their athlete.

Taiwan's boxing federations and National Olympic Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

—Reuters