- Sharron Davies is concerned female boxers could be ‘killed’ inside the ring
- Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting have been at the centre of a gender row
- Olympic organisers have defended the decision to let both boxers compete
Former Team GB Olympian Sharron Davies has labelled the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow failed gender test boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting to compete at the Paris Games as ‘insane’ and warned female boxers could be ‘killed’.
Algeria’s Khelif and Taiwan fighter Yu-ting have been at the centre of controversial gender row during the Games after both were given the green light to compete despite being banned from the International Boxing Association World Championships last year for reportedly failing a gender test.
Both boxers have since secured themselves a guaranteed medal at the Olympics in their respective weight categories.
Fury was sparked when Khelif’s power forced Italy’s Angela Carini to quit just 46 seconds into their first-round bout and prompting furious responses over her eligibility from high-profile celebrities such as JK Rowling and Judy Murray.
The IOC later doubled-down on their ruling to allow both fighters to compete in the women’s category at the Games citing that Khelif and Yu-ting are both documented as females on their passports.
Former Team GB Olympian Sharron Davies has warned female boxers could be ‘killed’ in the ring if failed gender test athletes are allowed to continue competing
Algeria’s Imane Khelif (blue) has been at the centre of a controversial gender row at the Olympics
Taiwan fighter Lin Yu-ting has also been involved in the gender row after previously being banned from the International Boxing Association World Championships last year for reportedly failing a gender test
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Defeated Italian boxer, Carini, previously claimed she had stopped her contest against Khelif over fears for her safety, and now former gold and silver Olympic medallist, Davies, has issued similar warnings.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the 61-year-old said: ‘In boxing, it is insane to put a male in a ring with a female and for the IOC to say the only thing that’s important to them is what is on a passport is genuine neglect.
‘The duty of care has been thrown out the window, and my head wants to explode…
‘We’re literally on the cusp of a female athlete potentially being killed if we’re not careful. It really is that bad.’
Other boxers competing at the Games have aired their worries and feelings of unjust in more cryptic ways with Turkey’s Esra Yildiz – who was beaten by Yu-Ting – making an ‘X’ sign with her fingers just as the Taiwan boxer’s Bulgarian opponent had done in the previous bout.
Italian boxer Angela Carini (pictured) was devastated after being beaten by Khelif in just 46 seconds
Imane Khelif (left) and Yu-Ting (right) have both guaranteed themselves medals at the Olympics
Some female competitors such as Svetlana Staneva made an ‘X’ gesture after losing out to Yu Ting
Many believe the single ‘X’ symbol is reference to the fact that male chromosomes are designated by an X and a Y, while females have two X’s.
Linda Blade, co-founder of the International Consortium on Female Sport followed on from Davies and highlighted that the controversial gender issue could have been ‘entirely avoidable’.
‘Boxing is the sport with the greatest disparity between males and female – with males punching 162 per cent harder than females,’ Blade said.
‘The potential harm to females that could result from the pummelling delivered by an unverified participant who is male is catastrophic.’
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