The International Olympic Committee called reports of biologically male athletes competing against women 'misleading'
Olympics gender controversy: Should biological males compete against women?
Debate over the biological sex of a boxer who won a women's match at the Olympic Games is sweeping the globe. Here's what Americans have to say about the issue.
Allegations that the Olympic boxer who won a women's welterweight match has male chromosomes sparked outrage on Thursday, with many Americans saying that biological men should not be allowed to compete against female athletes.
"Tragic," Lee from Houston said of the situation. "You can only imagine your daughter, or any of our daughters, being in the ring with a biological male. It's always a disadvantage biologically."
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defeated Italy’s Angela Carini after just 46 seconds when Carini abandoned the match Thursday in Paris. Carini later explained a punch from Khelif "hurt too much" to continue.
Athletes and commentators slammed the International Olympic Committee Thursday for allowing Imane Khelif of Algeria, right, to compete against Angela Carini of Italy in the women's 66kg preliminary boxing match. Khelif and another boxer were previously disqualified after the International Boxing Association accused them of having XY chromosomes. (Isabel Infantes/Reuters)
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Khelif's biological sex had already been the subject of much debate.
The 25-year-old athlete is one of two Olympic boxers competing this year who were disqualified during the 2023 World Championships, overseen by the International Boxing Association (IBA). Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan were both denied medals in the 2023 competition after tournament officials said they failed gender eligibility tests.
IBA President Umar Kremlev said at the time that DNA tests "identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women."
"According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition," Kremlev said, according to Russia’s Tass News Agency.
Khelif and the Algerian Olympic Committee denied the claims, and this year the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deemed both boxers eligible for competition. Khelif and Lin have never identified as men, transgender or intersex in the past, Time reported.
"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process," the IOC said in a statement, calling reports about the women "misleading."
Angela Carini of Team Italy cries after abandoning a match against Imane Khelif of Team Algeria in the first round on day six of the Olympic Games in Paris. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Yet controversy over Khelif's gender was rampant after the 46-second fight.
Trevor in Houston watched part of the match and said it "ended very badly."
"Each gender has their role, and I just don't think you should cross the two in sports," he said.
While many people who spoke with Fox News Digital weren't familiar with the specifics of Khelif's case, most agreed that biological males shouldn't compete against women, especially in extremely physical sports like boxing.
"Man power is, like, brutal," Jkuzi in New York City said.
"I feel like women's sports should be women's sports and just keep it as is," a woman in Houston said.
But Ryan in Birmingham, Michigan, disagreed, saying athletes should be able to compete in the gender category of their choice.
"People are making… too big of a deal out of something that shouldn't be," he said.
And Alvin from Queens, New York, said it's "a tough question."
"I don't want to say that it's something we shouldn't progress towards as a society. It's just something we need to be very careful about," he said.
Nikolas Lanum reported from New York City; Joshua Q. Nelson reported from Birmingham, Michigan; and Elizabeth Heckman reported from Houston, Texas.
Hannah Ray Lambert is an associate producer/writer with Fox News Digital Originals.
