The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recently revised its guidelines, allowing transgender women to compete in women’s boxing events at the Olympics. This decision has ignited a heated debate about fairness, safety, and inclusion in sports.
The International Olympic Committee confirmed that two boxers who were disqualified from competing in a women’s global event last year have now been cleared to fight in the Paris Olympics.
Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu‑ting of Taiwan had failed to meet gender eligibility tests at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, leading to their disqualifications.
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However, the IOC confirmed in an email on Tuesday that they have been approved to compete in the women’s 66-kilogram and women’s 57-kilogram matches in Paris this week.
At the time of their disqualifications, the president of the International Boxing Association, which governs the World Boxing Championships, claimed that the boxers’ chromosome tests indicated XY chromosomes (women typically have two X chromosomes, while men typically have one X and one Y chromosome).
Advocates argue that transgender women should have the right to compete in the sport they identify with and that excluding them would be discriminatory.
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They point to scientific studies suggesting that hormone therapy can mitigate any potential physical advantages transgender women may have over cisgender women.
However, critics raise concerns about the potential for unfair competition, citing differences in bone density, muscle mass, and lung capacity between transgender women and cisgender women.
They also express concerns about the safety of female athletes, arguing that they could be at a higher risk of injury when competing against transgender women.
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