The International Boxing Association (IBA) plans to lodge criminal complaints against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the US, France, and Switzerland. This action follows the IOC’s decision to permit women boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting to compete and secure gold medals at the Paris Olympics. The IBA alleges that this decision could warrant criminal prosecution under Swiss law, as it poses a potential safety risk to competitors. The IBA, which has been ousted from Olympic involvement and is backed by Russian state energy giant Gazprom, also cited a recent executive order from former US President Donald Trump that restricts transgender athletes in women’s sports as justification for their complaints.
In a further escalation of the dispute between the IBA and the IOC, IBA president Umar Kremlev announced that they would provide free legal support to women boxers looking to case against IOC officials. Trump’s remarks misgendering the boxers, claiming they were men, add to the controversy, as both Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the recent IBA world championships for failing eligibility tests. The IOC asserts that both athletes complied with all relevant rules during the Olympics. As the next Summer Games approach in Los Angeles in 2028, this ongoing feud raises significant questions about the future of transgender participation in sports.