site.btaBulgarian Olympic Committee Expresses Gender Equality Concerns

The Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) once again emphasised the importance of strict adherence to gender equality at the Olympic Games, BOC said in an official statement on Thursday. BOC’s statement is driven by the participation of Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan, who are both transgender athletes, in the women's boxing tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted them permission to compete in the gender category opposite to their birth gender, a decision that has led BOC to consider filing a complaint. "The cause for our concern is the participation in the women's boxing tournament at the Paris Games of Imane Khelif from Algeria in the 66 kg category and Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan in the 57 kg category, who previously failed gender tests and were barred from participating in global women's boxing tournaments, yet now, inexplicably, they are listed in the women's program at the Olympic Games in Paris," BOC said.

On July 27, BOC Secretary General Belcho Goranov and Head Team Physician of the Olympic delegation Stefan Strugarov met with the Chair of the IOC Medical Commission-Games Group of the Paris 2024 Group Olympics, Roald Bahr, and IOC Scientific and Medical Director Jane Thornton, to discuss athlete admissions for the Paris Games.

"The two athletes have been admitted to the Paris Games, adhering to all rules and meeting all criteria, and the IOC does not practice and will not conduct gender tests as long as the passport says female," Bahr said. BOC plans to file an official complaint, to which Bahr responded that such a complaint would not be entertained. However, if pursued, it should be directed to the IOC. This is something that BOC intends to do.

At the meeting, BOC once again expressed its disagreement with the participation of the two athletes in question in the women's Olympic tournament at the Paris Games and voiced concerns about potential negative consequences if no action is taken.

"We are firmly committed to defending the rights not only of Bulgarian athletes but of all female competitors who may be adversely affected by the participation of individuals from the opposite sex in women's events," BOC said. BOC also expressed concerns about the health of the athletes, highlighting that it is scientifically proven that men's strikes are significantly stronger than those of women, which can lead to severe injuries and permanent trauma.

"The Bulgarian Olympic Committee hopes this statement will prompt a response from those responsible for organizing and properly conducting the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games in Paris," BOC said in its position statement.

Khelif advanced to the quarterfinals on Thursday after defeating Italian Angela Carini, who retired just 46 seconds into the match. Carini explained after the match that she received two severe blows to the head, felt extreme pain in her nose, and could not breathe properly.