The boxing boss who disqualified the two fighters at the centre of the Olympics gender row branded the pair ‘men’ but bemoaned the fact testers ‘did not check between their legs’.
In an utterly shambolic press conference the IBA’s Russian chief Umar Kremlev attempted to clarify why his association threw out Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting from their World Championships last year.
The pair have both guaranteed themselves medals amid controversy at the Olympics, with IOC eligibility rules in place for Paris 2024 after Games bosses stripped the IBA of the right to run the competition over corruption and governance issues.
But Kremlev, who once again branded Olympics boss Thomas Bach ‘a sodomite’ provided few clear answers in a hastily-arranged, farcical two hours.
‘The tests show they were men,’ he said. ‘We don’t verify what they have between their legs. We don’t know if they were born like that, or if some changes were made.’
A briefing document left on a table showed the results revealed that ‘detected XY chromosomes in samples of both athletes’.
The IBA claim both boxers were tested at their event in Istanbul in 2022, where they revealed adverse findings, which were repeated at the 2023 competition in New Delhi.
They also said two other boxers were tested in Turkey and were cleared.
‘The second tests confirmed the first tests,’ Kremlev said. ‘If people have doubts, refer to them. They can make their own tests.’
Elsewhere Gabriel Martelli, coaches committee chairman of the IBA, warned that a fatality could be forthcoming.
‘Our sport is dangerous, where there is an unfair advantage people could die,’ he said.
‘If for any reason one of the participants has extra power, then you can understand how dangerous this can be.’
Chris Roberts, the IBA’s British chief executive, questioned why the IOC had not acted on information they provided with them on the test results last year.
Most extraordinary news conference I’ve ever witnessed. Held by the International Boxing Association to provide “detailed explanation” into the reasoning of Olympic boxers Imane Khelif & Lin Yu-ting.
3 loud electrical bangs, translation not working, people shouting & now leaving pic.twitter.com/ZXzNOS9wx2— Tyrone Francis (@TJFrancisLive) August 5, 2024
‘They have not done anything with it because they rely on own criteria – which is basically the passport.’
Mail Sport asked Roberts if there had been an independent witness when the tests were taken. He said that there had not, but that the laboratories that handled the results were independent.
Roberts also confirmed that Russian state-sponsored energy firm Gazprom were still an IBA sponsor.
In one of various lengthy rants Moscow-born Kremlev, speaking via videolink, claimed Olympics bosses were ‘trying to do everything to destroy feminine sports competitions’.
‘If the IBA was in charge this would not have happened,’ he added. ‘Female boxing is being soiled.’
IBA president Umar Kremlev began the heavily delayed press conference by criticising the Olympics opening ceremony and raised his concerns about the portrayal of Christianity within it.
However, his opening address, which came via live video link, was disrupted by sound issues.
The press conference became more shambolic as three loud electrical bangs were heard inside the room, before Kremlev’s translator struggled to keep up with the Russian’s rant, meaning the majority of those in attendance were unable to understand what was going on.
Reuters chose to cut their stream of the press conference, while the BBC walked out before the end in protest.
