The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made a controversial and risky decision by allowing two male boxers to compete in female boxing events at the Olympics. These boxers, who did not pass gender tests at world championships, have now been approved to compete in the Games. This decision has stirred significant anger among many athletes and sports pundits. Martina Navratilova, a well-known tennis champion, has publicly criticized the IOC’s decision through a tweet on X. Her discontent reflects the broader frustration within the sports community over this move. This week, Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-ting from Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) are set to start their Olympic boxing matches. Khelif will fight against Italian Angela Carini in the 66kg category, while Lin will face someone in the 57kg category. The issue began last year when the International Boxing Association (IBA) excluded these boxers from their events after DNA tests revealed they had XY chromosomes. However, the IBA was later banned from overseeing the Olympic boxing tournament due to governance issues, and the IOC’s Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, with more lenient rules, is now in charge.

Highlighting the biggest controversies of the Paris Olympics so far

The 2024 Summer Olympics are facing several backlash from various corners. There are worries about security, human rights, and the participation of certain countries. The conflict between Israel and Hamas has raised questions about allowing Israeli athletes.

Similarly, there is debate over letting Russian and Belarusian athletes compete as neutrals due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Andy Bull described these Olympics as the “Conflict Games” because of these tensions.

In France, the government’s secular policies have led to another misfire of sort. The French National Olympic and Sports Committee has banned French athletes from wearing religious symbols like hijabs during the Olympics. This rule only applies to French athletes and not to other teams participating in the Games.

There have been complaints about the treatment of athletes. Sounkamba Sylla, a member of France’s 4 × 400 m relay team, claimed she was barred from the opening ceremony for wearing a hijab. She eventually reached a compromise to wear a cap instead. Australian boxer Tina Rahimi criticized the ban, saying it unfairly affects athletes’ performance.

On 25 July 2024, Argentina’s soccer team coach, Javier Mascherano, reported a robbery at their training base. A watch belonging to midfielder Thiago Almada was stolen. The team filed a police report in Lyon. Additionally, a global IT outage on 19 July 2024 disrupted the Olympics preparation. A faulty update caused technical issues, affecting the accreditation process and slowing down operations.