Imane Khelif and Yu Ting: Banned by Boxing Association but allowed by IOC to fight in Women's boxing despite failing gender tests
Imane Khelif and Yu Ting were banned by the International Boxing Association for failing gender eligibility tests during the 2023 World Championships but are allowed to participate in Paris Olympics 2024.
One has already featured at the Paris Olympics in women's boxing 66kg category while one is supposed to feature 57kg category on Friday, and both are at the centre of attraction for the last two days. But why? Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu‑ting of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) failed the gender eligibility tests during the 2023 World Championships but were allowed to fight in women's boxing at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.
Why did IBA ban them?
As per the International Boxing Association's president Umar Kremlev, "both boxers have XY chromosomes" which made them ineligible for the World Championships last year. Both Imane and Lin were scrapped from their medals, “following a comprehensive review and was intended to uphold the fairness and integrity of the competition”, as cited by IBA.
After the International Olympic Committee allowed both the boxers in the Women's category, the internet reacted with terms like, "they are allowing men in women's boxing". Barry McGuigan, a former boxing World Champion wrote on X, “It’s shocking that they were actually allowed to get this far, what is going on?”
Imane Khelif of Algeria waits as Italy abandons the Women's 66kg match. Image | Getty Images
The world saw what happened when Imane Khelif took on the boxing ring against Italy's Angela Carini. Carini was first punched in the face by Khelif and just after 46 seconds of the match, she decided not to fight anymore, which was later confirmed by Emanuele Renzini, Italy's boxing coach.
Soon after that, the internet started filled with posts with #IStandWithAngelaCarini.
This woman, Angela Carini, is crying because her dream of winning a medal for her late father was destroyed in 46 seconds.
But, the thing is that the IOC has banned the International Boxing Association from running the Olympic boxing tournament due to governance issues and controversial judgement scandals. Thus, the IOC has created the "Paris 2024 Boxing Unit" to run the boxing tournament at the Olympics.
The Paris 2024 Boxing Unit have relaxed rules than IBA and used the rules of the Tokyo Olympics as a baseline for the rules for Paris 2024.
“The PBU used the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules (enforced at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the related qualifying tournaments) as a baseline to develop its regulations. Those rules descended from the Rio 2016 rules. The PBU endeavoured to restrict amendments to minimise the impact on athletes’ preparation and guaranteeing consistency between Olympic Games," IOC stated.
The IOC has acknowledged the fact that both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu‑ting have failed the gender eligibility tests via their MyInfo website.
Lin Yu‑ting of Chinese Taipei will fight on Friday in the 57kg category.
The website stated that Khelif was “disqualified just hours before her gold medal showdown against Yang Liu at the 2023 world championships in New Delhi, India after her elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria” while acknowledging that Lin was “stripped of her bronze medal after failing to meet eligibility requirements based on the results of a biochemical test.
But IOC has not given any detail on what criteria both the boxers were allowed to participate in the Women's category.
It will be interesting to see what happens when Lin Yu‑ting takes on Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan in the 57kg category on Friday.
"Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal": Mary Kom hints to make a comeback in Pro-Boxing
Notably, so far only three Indian boxers have won medals in the Olympics – Vijender Singh (bronze in Beijing 2008), Mary Kom (bronze in London 2012) and Lovlina Borgohain (bronze in Tokyo 2020).
Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom expressed disappointment over the poor performance of Indian boxers in the Paris Olympics 2024. She said that being a medal winner, it is natural that she feels bad.
India had sent a team of six boxers to the Paris 2024, which included two men and four women. It also included Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain and world champion Nikhat Zareen.
Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing
Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing, stating, "I am planning to make a comeback.I will try to make a comeback in pro-boxing." In the same event, she shared her happiness in participating in sports-promoting events but remained concerned about India's performance at the Olympics.
'We will assess what needs to be done'
Mary Kom told IANS during the Army Sports Conclave, "Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal in the 2024 Olympics. We will assess what needs to be done moving forward and what shouldn’t be done,"
India's boxing campaign was disappointing
Lovlina (women's 75kg) missed out on a historic second medal at the Paris Olympics and lost to China's Li Qian in the quarterfinals. At the same time, in the men's 71 kg category, Nishant Dev had reached the quarter-finals, but he had to face defeat from Marco Verde of Mexico.
Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (women's 50kg), Commonwealth Games champion Amit Panghal (men's 51kg) and Preeti Pawar (women's 54kg) lost in the round of 16 in their respective categories. Jasmine Lamboria (women's 57 kg) was eliminated in the round of 32. Overall, India's Paris Olympics boxing campaign was disappointing.
"As a world champion and medallist myself, its natural to feel disappointed. We'll focus on more practice and hard work for the upcoming tournaments," Mary Kom added.
Only three boxers achieved olympic medal
Notably, so far only three Indian boxers have won medals in the Olympics – Vijender Singh (bronze in Beijing 2008), Mary Kom (bronze in London 2012) and Lovlina Borgohain (bronze in Tokyo 2020).
A lot of instances have seen cricket being differentiated from other sports. Especially, in South Asian countries, where cricket rules a fraternity, "sports" look doomed. An established "Cricket versus Sports" league is not a 2-month long tournament. It's an age-long duel with apparent results. But, is cricket guilty?
If we look back, Cricket was not as big as it is now. Restricted within the allies of a colonized country, cricket was just a time pass. 36 years to Independence, but a famous singer (Lata Mangeshkar) had to arrange a charity musical show to gather prize money for the 1983 World Cup Winners.
The image of Kapil lifting the World Cup trophy from the iconic Lord's balcony. Photo Collcted.
India gained some confidence since then. the biggest boost came after the win in the inaugurating T20 World Cup Win. 2007, 24the September, exactly 20 years back, the seed of the cash-rich league got sown.
Indian Premier League, started in 2008, is the biggest source of money earning for BCCI. Keeping aside BCCI, the neighbouring cricketing nations have their cricket board more powerful than the other boards. But is this a fault of Cricket?
"Athletes" ignites the fire of "Cricket versus Sport" League
India won its second T20I World Cup after ending its 11 years of drought. The fans who were frustrated for a decade finally got one thing to celebrate. The Marine Drive got flooded with people. The Wankahde Stadium showed all its suppresed love to the team.
The Indian team received a grand welcome at the Mumbai's Marine Drive that was followed by a felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium. AP
But this has triggered athletes from different sports. Names like Chirag Shetty and Saina Nehwal came into the limelight criticizing the sport. When Shetty wanted equal recognition for India's win in the last Uber Cup, Saina went a step ahead. Her view was simple- people wouldn't even hate cricket even if she did so. But, why would someone hate cricket?
This is not a once or twice-told story. This widespread competition with cricket is not new. But is cricket a foe to other sports? Here are a few stories of "influence" and "idolization" in the recent past, not only from India but from neighbors too.
Sri Lanka Cricket funded CWG participating athletes.
Palitha Bandara recorded a distance of 44.20 meters and won the silver medal for Sri Lanka. Photo collected
The pre-2022 Commonwealth Games has seen an economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Not just economic, but the life on the island was distressed. The then Prime Minister Rajadhakshya fled from the country. Sri Lanka since its independence faced their record crisis.
The country fell short of food and fuel. The pandemic had already hit the Sports authorities. The crisis increased the hardships. They ran out of money. The situation was so pathetic that the boards couldn't manage transport to send the accessories to the athletes
At a point, the country thought of withdrawing its name from the Birmingham CWG. But at that very moment, Sri Lanka Cricket stepped in.
The board contributed 22 million Sri Lankan Rupees to the athletes participating. They hosted Australia and gathered the amount, despite the fears of the crowd ruining it.
Cricket Sri Lanka tried to cover all the funds. However, the athletes still had limited athleisure. CWG authorities too came in help for the athletes. Sri Lanka finished the CWG Campaign with four medals (one silver and three bronze).
Pakistan Cricket Board- the unsung sponsor for Arshad Nadeem
Arshad Nadeem Won the gold medal for Pakistan, at Paris Olympics. Photo coutesy: Olympics
The Paris Olympics Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem was initially an age-group cricket player, His focus later shifted to javelin through which Pakistan got its first medal after 1992.
Arshad Nadeem registered a monstrous throw of 92.97 metres sealing the gold for his country. Earlier he won the silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Budapest, with a throw of 87.82 meters. He gave Pakistan’s first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.
But what did Pakistan give him? ignorance! The Commonwealth champion earlier expressed that he has been using a javelin for the last 8 years. His bosom friend and admirer Neeraj Chopra from India tweeted, urging the Pakistan Government to buy Nadeem news javelins.
Nadeem hails from Punjab's Miyan Channu village. Struggling themselves, the villagers funded him for his Olympic campaign. Added, that it was the Pakistan Cricket Bard who sponsored him.
PCB also financed Nadeem and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt's air tickets.
Earlier BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced financial aid for the Olympians.BCCI granted Rs. 8.5 Crores (approximately $1.03 million) to the Indian Olympic Association for their Olympics campaign.
Recently a new NCA (National Cricket Academy) is near completion. The old existing facilities at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city center will be upgraded to a multi-sport training facility.
Apart from the cricketers, it will open doors for the Olympians too. NCA will have new facilities that will let them train there.
The new facilities will have World-Class Playing Grounds will have:
45 Practice Pitches: A variety of pitches to cater to different training needs.
Indoor Cricket Facilities: For year-round practice and skill development.
Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool: To aid in recovery and cross-training for athletes.
State-of-the-Art Training and Recovery Facilities: Equipped with the latest sports science technology to help athletes maintain peak physical condition and recover efficiently from injuries.
Cricketer- "athlete" collaboration
When one section came forward criticizing the fame, the other one took it handy to make their own.
Mahi's influence
Speaking about Swapnil Kusale, he himself mentioned that he doesn't follow any other sport apart from shooting. But he follows Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kusale, who is an Indian Railways employee is a ticket checker like Dhoni. It took him 12 years to feature in the Olympics. And take India's first ever 10m Rifle position 3 medal. The Asian Games Champion accepted that MS's calm personality helps him to stay calm in chaos.
One of the biggest heartbreak for any badminton fan was Lakshya Sen's exit from the Olympics without a medal. The Chinese Lee Zii Jia shattered Sen's bronze medal dream.
But Sen's popularity is still unmatched in the sports arena. Even though he is "big," he still wants to "be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in coming years." In "The Ranveer Show" podcast he expressed his admiration for Kohli.
The other name that comes in the list is Nitesh Kumar. The Olympic Champion in the Men's Singles SL3 category is a Kohli fan. His winning celebration had some glimpses of Kohli's aggression.
But Nitesh's love for Kohli is not limited to celebrations. After succumbing to a deadly injury in Vizag, he started upgrading his badminton skills. Not only that, he delved himself into fitness, inspired by the 2013 version of Kohli.
P.R Sreejesh celebrated in his unique style after winning the bronze medal at paris. (Reuters Photo)
Soon after retirement, Indian Men's Hockey team goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh was assigned to train the junior hockey team. The two-time Olympic Bronze medallist was delighted to get this role. he not only talked about the future prospects but did mentioned about Rahul Dravid.
"The Wall" of Indian Hockey looked upon "The Wall" of Indian Cricket when it came to coaching. The way Dravid devoted himself to training the cricketing juniors, Seejesh is looking forward to doing the same for his sports.
The 2028 Olympics will feature Cricket after 128 years. The brand value of Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in the addition of cricket. But as Sunil Chhetri, the Indian former captain of Indian Football once said, Cricket excelling is great for that country. Then, how does that justify other sports not getting the "love" cricket gets?
How does that justify Chirag Shetty repeatedly slipping down on the court, in the Olympics quarterfinal, having his partner Sattwikraj Rankireddy as the lone warrior?
How does that justify the associations not getting enough funds and definitely investing to find talent?
How does that justify archers failing to read the wind in bigger stages?
It's an open-ended question. Is it cricket the enemy, or the system? Is cricket actually an enemy or a friend in need?
China Open 2024: Malvika Bansod enters Super 1000 quarterfinals for the first time by defeating top seed Kirsty Gilmour
The 23-year-old badminton player achieved this victory a day after defeating the Paris Olympics 2024 bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia. However, Malvika Bansod is the only Indian shuttler left in the competition.
Indian badminton player Malvika Bansod continued her brilliant form and entered the Super 1000 quarter-finals for the first time by winning a tough match against her higher ranked opponent Kirsty Gilmour at the China Open 2024 in Changzhou on Thursday.
Malvika Bansod, BWFranking 43rd, toiled hard for one hour and five minutes before defeating two-time Commonwealth Games medalist and world number 25 Gilmour of Scotland 21-17 19-21 21-16 in the women's singles round-of-16 match.
Earlier defeated Paris Olympics bronze medalist
The 23-year-old player achieved this victory a day after defeating the Paris Olympics 2024 bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia.
However, Malvika Bansod, the only Indian shuttler left in the competition, faces a tough challenge as she will face fourth seed and two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the last eight stage.
Although the Japanese shuttler has won both the matches against Malvika, the Indian shuttler came close to defeating Yamaguchi and she is hopeful that she will be able to register victory this time.
Malvika's sensational performance in pre-quarterfinals
In the opening game against Gilmour, Malvika was down 11-5 at the break. The Indian shuttler brought down the deficit to two points at 16-14 and then won seven of the next eight points to go one game up in the contest. Gilmour, drew on her experience to mount a comeback and close a tight second game.
Malvika surged to an eight-point lead at 10-2 in the decider. She later extended her advantage to 20-11. Gilmour fought back with five consecutive points to make it 20-16 but the late fightback proved too little for Malvika, who comfortably sealed her spot in the quarter-finals.
Indian athletes Manu Bhaker, Neeraj Chopra and Vinesh Phogat's brand value was boosted after the Paris Olympics 2024 where India bagged six medals. Manu Bhaker became India's only female athlete to bag multiple medals at a single Olympic while Neeraj Chopra had to be satisfied with a silver in javelin. However, wrestler Vinesh Phogat had to return home with disappointment despite qualifying for the final in the women's 50kg category. But, that did not stop her brand value from rising to nearly three times.
Manu Bhaker bags a 1.5 cr deal with Thumbs Up
Manu Bhaker won two medals in shooting for India at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Shooter Manu Bhaker won bronze in women's 10-metre air pistol and then won another bronze medal in the mixed 10-metre air pistol team event alongside Sarabjot Singh. This success made Manu an overnight celebrity in India and after returning home with those two medals she has been making huge brand deals which boosted her brand value on a large scale.
Manu used to charge INR 25 Lakhs per deal before the Paris Olympics 2024. But, after the success at the Olympics, her endorsement deal now has surged up to six times, helping her grab an INR 1.5 cr deal with Thumbs Up.
Neeraj Chopra won India's only silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.
India's golden boy Neeraj Chopra was already one of the highest-paid Indian athletes barring from cricketers. Though Neeraj could not defend his gold medal in Paris, his brand value rose by 30-40%. As per a report by NDTV, Neeraj's brand value is now USD 40 million or INR 330 crore.
Vinesh Phogat had to return empty-handed despite qualifying for the finals of Women's 50kg event.
On the other hand despite qualifying for the finals of the Women's 50kg wrestling event and becoming the first Indian women wrestler to achieve the feat, Vinesh Phogat had to return empty-handed after failing the weigh-in on the final day by 100 gms. Though Manu had appealed for a silver medal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), her appeal was declined.
Despite a sad end to her Paris Olympics journey, Manu has been seen as a hero in India and was given a grand welcome when she returned home. Her performance in the Summer Olympics surged her brand value by a huge number. As per the Economic Times, Manu used to charge INR 25 lakhs per brand deal and is now charging INR 75 lakhs to 1 Cr. per deal.
India's largest contingent to compete in Paris Paralympics 2024
After the conclusion of the Paris Olympics 2024, the city will now host the Paralympic Games from August 28. The PCI released a list of 84 para-athletes who will represent the country at the forthcoming Paris Paralympics 2024.
After the conclusion of the Paris Olympics 2024, the city will now host the Paralympic Games from August 28. This time India is sending its largest contingent to the Paris Paralympics 2024 to be held from 28 August to 8 September.
Indian Paralympic Committee (PCI) President Devendra Jhajharia said on Tuesday that India is sending its 84-member contingent in 12 sports to the Paris Paralympics 2024.
Amit is the most experienced, Sheetal is the youngest
Amit Kumar Saroha is the most experienced player in India's 84-member contingent, while Sheetal Devi is the youngest. Discus thrower Amit is going to participate in his fourth Olympics, while 17-year-old Sheetal from Jammu and Kashmir will contend for a medal in archery. Sheetal had won two gold and one silver medal in the Para Asian Games 2022.
10 para-athletes from Rajasthan
10 athletes from Rajasthan will contend for medals in the Paris Paralympics 2024. Avani Lekhara, Mona Agarwal, Nihal Singh, Rudransh Khandelwal, and Amir Ahmad Bhat will present the challenge in the para shooting.
Sundar Singh Gurjar and Sandeep will participate in athletics, Anita in rowing, Shyam Sundar Swami in archery, and Krishna Nagar in badminton. Krishna is the defending champion and will defend the title in his category.
India showed their best-ever performance in Tokyo Paralympics
India showed an excellent performance at the Tokyo Paralympics where they had won 19 medals. India sent a contingent of 54 Indian athletes in Tokyo. In addition, India also won five gold medals at that tournament, which led to their best-ever finish, 24th position, at the Paralympics.
Follow Us
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/kJOxO3TIIC9U7WYaHYbv.webp)
/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/ab87b3c220daca44030603299dee2822c27d7db9c3f23470ad0f82314f289c54.jpg)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/WpCpN9mb8EAdrEbnZRkC.jpg)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/qxvRhKx85us1bMg5OrKF.jpg)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/AjRu5aO8nq5el2T2VHod.jpeg)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/2vEeJKGLz4H5iHljbDA0.png)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/6lCwVpLE1Ph3It6wRuCO.webp)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/rrPSL08v09eMoLEvoh70.jpg)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/WIxH7ATu2u2G42Ztwqoy.jpg)
/sportzpoint/media/media_files/E4NBnJr4iXDSequdAEdW.jpeg)
