Paris: In a statement on Saturday, IOC President Thomas Bach condemned the “hate speech” directed at boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting at the Paris Olympics as “totally unacceptable.” Bach emphasised that the IOC would not engage in what he described as a “politically motivated cultural war.”

Khelif, from Algeria, and Lin, from Taiwan, have faced intense global scrutiny regarding their gender following disqualifications at the 2023 World Championships. The Russian-led International Boxing Association, which has been barred from overseeing Olympic boxing due to ongoing disputes with the IOC, removed both athletes from the championships in India 16 months ago based on unspecified and unproven gender tests.

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Bach defended the athletes, stating, “We have two boxers who are born as women, who have been raised as women, who have a passport as a woman, and have competed for many years as women.” He criticised those attempting to control the definition of womanhood. Both Khelif and Lin previously competed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but did not medal.