Washington
Former US President Donald Trump stirred controversy again by criticizing two Olympic gold medalist female boxers, falsely labeling them as men during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. His remarks were made in the context of his promise to “keep men out of women’s sports,” rekindling heated debates on gender and athletics.
Trump referenced the athletes from the recently concluded Paris Olympics, claiming, “They were men. They transitioned to women, and they were in the boxing,” and called it “so demeaning to women.” His comments are part of a pattern in his rallies, where he has repeatedly targeted transgender athletes.
The athletes in question, Li Yu-ting from Taiwan and Imane Khelif from Algeria, have faced global scrutiny due to false assumptions about their gender. Both were disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) over alleged failures in gender eligibility tests, despite being biologically female.
Khelif and Lin, who were later cleared to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics, were initially barred from the Women’s World Championships in India due to elevated testosterone levels, according to the IBA. This decision, which led to the stripping of their medals and exclusion from women’s competitions, faced widespread criticism for its lack of transparency.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), overseeing the boxing events in Paris, cleared both athletes based on their passport gender and condemned the harassment, particularly of Khelif, who faced online abuse following the IBA’s ruling.
