The boxers at the heart of the current Olympics controversy are both women, according to their passports.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in the second round of the women’s welterweight event after Ms Carini withdrew after 46 seconds. 

Ms Khelif then became the centre of controversy after it emerged she failed an eligibility test by the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2023. 

The IBA did not administer a testosterone exam but ruled that Ms Khelif had “competitive advantages over other female competitors”. 

Ms Khelif has now been accused of being a “biological male” following her victory against Ms Carini and unfairly hurting her opponents. 

Imane Khelif winning the second round of the women's 66kg Olympics boxing. Image: Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo

Sports journalist Gavin Cooney argued, however, that the root of the controversy is an ongoing row between the IBA and the International Olympic Committee. 

“There are effectively two governing bodies for boxing at the moment,” he told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“The judging scandal in Rio and other subsequent scandals has meant that the IOC no longer recognises the IBA. 

“The IBA continues to run amateur boxing competitions and it was the IBA who disqualified [Ms Khelif] from the World Championships last year.” 

The IBA was expelled from the Olympics by the IOC last year due to concerns over financial stability and governance.

A 2021 report also accused the organisation of accepting bribes from competing countries at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Imane Khelif and Angela Carini competing in Olympic boxing. Image: Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo

Mr Cooney noted that the IBA is "not being fully transparent" about the test Ms Khelif received to disqualify her from the 2023 World Championships.

He also pointed out that Ms Khelif was never accused of being a man. 

The IOC also ruled Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting was eligible to compete, even though she failed the same IBA test in 2023. 

“The IOC has allowed them to compete,” Mr Cooney said. “Their passports say they are female.” 

The Olympics checks age and gender eligibility using an athlete's passport and does not conduct any hormonal test to determine gender.

Boxing row

Mr Cooney agreed the IOC should have been clearer from the beginning that Ms Khelif and Ms Lin were not transgender. 

“The IOC then did release a statement last night where they offered a bit more detail effectively saying to point the blame at the IBA.” 

The IOC released a statement last night calling the 2023 decision by the IBA “arbitrary”. 

“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure,” it said. 

The IBA has said the test for Ms Khelif ‘remains confidential’. 

Ms Khelif will next compete on Saturday in the quarterfinals against Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori.