Coe accuses IOC of having ‘no clear position’ on boxing gender row

World Athletics President, Sebastian Coe, has hit out at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for not having a policy to deal with the current controversy over gender eligibility in Olympic boxing, reports insidethegames.biz. “It’s simple: have a policy,” he said.

As President of the International Association of Athletics Federations, Coe stressed the importance of having a clear policy on the issue. “You will never please everyone, but you have to have a clear position. Without it, you end up in situations like this.”

Last year, Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei were excluded from the World Amateur Championships for failing to meet the eligibility criteria. Despite this, both athletes are guaranteed Olympic medals.

Khelif, 25, will face Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the 66kg semifinals at Roland Garros on Tuesday, while Yu-ting, 28, will take on Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman in the 57kg category on Wednesday.

The IOC stripped the IBA of its status as boxing’s governing body over governance issues and said the tests on Khelif and Yu-ting were not legitimate.

The IOC President, Thomas Bach, underlined the IOC’s position and linked the furore to a wider, politically motivated campaign by Russian interests against the IOC, and the Paris Olympics.
Bach stressed that both Khelif and Lin are women by birth, upbringing, and competitive history, and condemned attempts to redefine their gender identities.

Coe blamed the controversy on a lack of planning by Olympic officials. “I spent five years on the British Boxing Board of Control as an administrative officer, and I have daughters.

How do you think I feel about that? But the most important thing is to have a policy that you can stand behind because it acts as a guiding principle. Without it, you end up in situations like this,” he said.

World Athletics was one of the first to introduce rules for athletes with different sexual development (DSD), following a lengthy legal battle involving South African runner Caster Semenya.

Other sports such as triathlon and swimming have also adopted strict rules.

While the IOC normally leaves such decisions to each sport’s governing body, its decision to sever ties with the International Boxing Association (IBA) has seen the IOC temporarily take control of boxing. It has warned the new organisation, World Boxing, to get its act together if it wants the sport to be part of the Los Angeles 2028 programme.