The IOC said it is «saddened by the abuse» that Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting have faced at the Paris Olympics, saying, «Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.»
PARIS — The International Olympic Committee on Thursday defended its decision to allow two female boxers to compete at the Paris Olympics despite an ongoing gender controversy, saying the pair were facing «aggression» because of an arbitrary decision.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who won her round of 16 welterweight bout over Italy’s Angela Carini in 46 seconds, and Taiwan’s double world champion Lin Yu-ting, who is fighting on Friday, have been cleared to compete in the Olympics.
Khelif’s lightning-quick win over Carini, who decided to pull out after a barrage of punches, piled more pressure on the IOC for allowing Khelif and Lin to box in Paris.
«The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving», the IOC said in a statement Wednesday.
