Caitlyn Jenner, who won the men’s decathlon at the 1976 Olympics, is the latest person to weigh in on the controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Khelif was barred from the 2023 world championships after a test revealed she had male XY chromosomes, according to Fox News.
Khelif sparked controversy with her decisive victory over Italy’s Angela Carini after the Italian forfeited within 46 seconds of the match. Carini cried to reporters and said she’d never been hit that hard in her life.
Jenner blames the International Olympic Committee for allowing Khelif to participate.
“I hate to be so downright rough … but we have to have rules and regulations, and it has to come down to DNA,” she said, saying those with XY chromosomes should be in a men’s competition,” Jenner said on a Friday edition of The Story on Fox News.
“I think the Olympic committee did absolutely the wrong thing by letting [Khelif] compete,” Jenner said. “Shame on the IOC for not protecting the integrity of women’s sports, and shame on the IOC for not protecting the safety of women’s sports.
The International Olympics Committee defended its decision to allow Khelif to participate, citing a faulty decision by the International Boxing Association.
“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the (International Boxing Association),” the IOC said of Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting fighting in 2023. “Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.”
Khelif did not immediately respond to the comments from Jenner.
[Fox News]
About DJ Byrnes