The gloves are off: Explaining the Olympic boxing gender scandal

PARIS – A scandal has engulfed the boxing competition in the Paris Olympics after an Algerian woman boxer who previously failed a gender eligibility test stopped her opponent after 46 seconds.

AFP takes a look at the scrap, which has spread far outside the ring but is more complicated than it first appears, with even Olympic officials admitting it's a "minefield."

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, 25, boxing in the 66kg category, and 28-year-old Taiwan's Lin Yu Ting, fighting at 57kg.

The row erupted after Khelif won her bout against Italy's Angela Carini in just 46 seconds with two strong punches to the Italian's nose that started bleeding profusely.

Both Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the 2023 world championships in New Delhi run by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after failing to meet "eligibility criteria."

However, both competed in the Tokyo Olympics and were cleared to fight in Paris.

This is where things start to get murky. The IBA said in a statement the athletes "did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test."

However, the "specifics" of this test "remain confidential."

Lin did not appeal the decision, notes the IBA. Khelif did take her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but then withdrew the appeal.

The IBA said the test "conclusively indicated" that both failed to meet required eligibility criteria and had "a competitive advantage over other female competitors."

At the time, Khelif said she had been told she had "characteristics that mean I can't box with women," claiming she was victim of a "big conspiracy."

Khelif's profile on the Paris 2024 media information site initially said she had been disqualified from the world championships over "elevated levels of testosterone" but this was later removed.

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said it was a "fact" that this was the reason but said the IBA had made a "sudden and arbitrary decision" to disqualify the boxers.

Adams said the IOC's own criteria was the gender indicated on the boxers' passports but acknowledged that it's "not a black-and-white issue."

Measuring testosterone is unsatisfactory, he told