Former US President Donald Trump once again sparked controversy when he criticised two Olympic gold medal-winning female boxers and referred to them as men during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump’s comments, which were made in the context of his pledge to “keep men out of women’s sports”, have reignited the debate over gender and sport.
Referring to athletes at the recently concluded Paris Olympics, Trump said, “They were men. They transformed into women, and they were into boxing,” adding that it was “very disrespectful to women.”
Trump’s comments are in keeping with his rallies, where he has often targeted transgender athletes.
Two Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan and Iman Khalif of Algeria, have been at the center of global scrutiny because of misconceptions about their gender.
Both athletes were disqualified from the Women’s World Championships last year by the now-banned International Boxing Association (IBA) for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests even though they were born and raised as women.
According to the IBA, Khalif and Lin, who were cleared to compete in women’s boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, were disqualified from the Women’s World Championships in India due to high testosterone levels.
The IBA’s decision to strip both boxers of their medals and bar them from participating in the women’s competition was widely criticised for its lack of transparency and fairness.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which oversees the boxing competitions in Paris, has given both Lin and Khalifa permission to compete in the Olympics, basing their eligibility on the gender listed on the athletes’ passports.
The IOC has condemned the harassment being faced by Khalif, who has faced online abuse and threats following the IBA’s decision. Khalif has spoken out against this harassment and warned that it could ruin lives.
Trump’s repeated criticism of Khalif, including calling her a man, has drawn widespread condemnation from various quarters. His comments come amid an ongoing debate about the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports, an issue that has polarised opinions around the world.
The situation has highlighted the wider challenges faced by athletes like Khalifa and Lin, who are caught in the middle of debates over gender, fairness and the intersection between sport and identity.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
