Olympic 2024 boxing controversy: IBA add to confusion over eligibility row
BBC Sport’s Ade Adedoyin spoke to IBA chief executive Chris Roberts after Monday’s news conference.
Question: What were the tests you did in 2022?
Answer: “Tests, which are for gender testing, were in 2022 in Istanbul. Those results were done in the laboratory. The results that came out of that identified, in accordance with the rules, an ineligibility to compete.”
Q: They were blood tests?
A: “Yes, blood tests.”
Q: But you said those blood tests were inconclusive?
A: “Correct. For both boxers.”
Q: What did the second blood tests tell you?
A: “Exactly the same. It gave us the same information. With that information, it was then presented to our board of directors to decide, based on our eligibility criteria, what constitutes male and what constitutes female.”
Q: So to clarify, the tests you did in 2022 and 2023 were exactly the same?
A: “Yes, correct. They were done through laboratories.”
Q: What were those tests designed to show? Your president said they were for testosterone?
A: “It was the chromosome thing. It was to identify that. Effectively gender testing.”
Q: What do you mean?
A: “So basically what level of chromosome marries up with XX XY. Based on that criteria. You’ve seen that in technical competition rules. So if you look at that you’ll see what that means.”
Q: Umar Kremlev said you tested them for testosterone…
A: “No, the blood tests were done. It was based on the criteria set against… it was a gender test, blood test. I’m not going to state [Kremlev] was wrong.”
Q: He said elevated levels of testosterone…
A: “Well, there are elevated levels of testosterone in that testing. It brings out a couple of different things. It identifies different things in that test.”
Q: The doctor said they were ‘genetically male’. What does he mean?
A: “I don’t know. I don’t know what his point is on that. You’d have to ask him that. All I’m saying here is tests were conducted in Istanbul, tests were then conducted in India. Results came out. Ineligibility demonstrates against the criteria and therefore that’s why the boxers were removed from our tournament.”
Q: We hoped for clarity, can see you why confusion has been caused?
A: “We can only take from the tests what they produce. I can’t go into that detail.”
Q: We are still not exactly clear what the situation is…
A: “I think he situation here is… why don’t you ask the boxers? We can’t disclose this direct information. It may be worth asking the boxers themselves.”
Q: Kremlev said testosterone, you’re saying XY chromosome. We are not further forward in understanding…
A: “OK.”
Q: Was today shambolic?
A: “In what sense? That you didn’t get the information that was needed? We can send this information to you so you can see it.”
Q: The labs, were they Wada-accredited?
A: “Yes, accredited. With licence numbers. Correct. The media have brought all of this hype up. Nobody ever said Imane Khelif was a man or the Chinese Taipei boxer, not me.”
Q: But your doctor did? Your doctor said they were genetically male…
A: “What did the doctor say? Did he? OK.”
#Olympic #boxing #controversy #IBA #add #confusion #eligibility #row