The International Boxing Association (IBA) has announced plans to take legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over its decision to allow Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Both athletes had been barred from the IBA’s 2023 World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests. However, the IOC permitted them to compete, and they went on to win gold medals. The dispute comes amid heightened global debate over transgender participation in women’s sports, following an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump last week seeking to ban transgender athletes from female categories.
In a statement issued on Monday, the IBA linked its legal action to Trump’s policy move, declaring that it is “filing an official complaint with the Attorney General of Switzerland… regarding the IOC’s actions.” The organization added that it would pursue similar complaints in France and the United States.
“President Trump’s order to ban transgender athletes from women’s sport validates IBA’s efforts to protect the integrity of female sports,” said IBA President Umar Kremlev, a Kremlin-linked Russian oligarch.
Despite the IBA’s stance, neither Imane Khelif nor Lin Yu-ting are transgender women. Both were born female and are legally recognized as such in their respective countries.
The IOC was responsible for overseeing boxing at the Paris Olympics after the IBA was expelled from the Olympic movement due to financial and ethical concerns.
