IOC President Thomas Bach Addresses 'Hate Speech' Against Female Boxers at Paris Olympics

IOC President Thomas Bach condemned the hate speech targeted at female boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting during the Paris Olympics. Both athletes were disqualified in 2023 due to gender-based tests. Bach criticized the Russian-led International Boxing Association and emphasized the need for a scientific definition of gender in sports.

IOC President Thomas Bach has strongly condemned the 'hate speech' directed at female boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting during the ongoing Paris Olympics, calling it 'totally unacceptable.' Bach made these comments during a mid-games news briefing, further dismissing the notion of a 'politically motivated cultural war' within the sport.

Bach highlighted the inappropriate and aggressive behavior on social media affecting Khelif of Algeria and Lin of Taiwan. Both boxers faced extreme online scrutiny and disqualification based on still-unproven gender-based tests administered 16 months ago by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), a body currently banned from the Olympics.

The controversy forms part of a broader conflict, with the IOC and other sports bodies isolating Russia due to its military invasion of Ukraine. Bach criticized the defamation campaigns led by the IBA against the IOC and the Paris Olympics, where only 15 Russian athletes are competing as neutrals. Amid this tension, the Algerian Olympic and Sports Committee has filed a complaint to the IOC regarding the online harassment of Khelif, calling it a violation of sports ethics and the Olympic Charter.