The ongoing Olympic Games 2024 being conducted in Paris is being watched as we speak, and people have put out a lot of faith and prayers in support of their favorite players or countries. With many changing waves in the game, there’s one in particular that people aren’t the most happy about.
Recently, an Italian female boxer quit an Olympic bout against a biologically male opponent after 46 seconds and J.K. Rowling is one such widely known persona who thinks of this as a “shame” for the reputation of the Olympics. Let us dive into what she has expressed.
J.K. Rowling Says Paris Olympic Games Have Been “Tarnished”
The infamous ‘Harry Potter’ author J.K. Rowling has always been very stern and vocal about her stance on various things including the trans community. On August 1, Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew from her welterweight round of 16 fight against Algeria’s Imane Khelif just 46 seconds at the Paris Olympics and this has sparked many controversies and discussions across the globe.
Rowling recently took to Social Media Site X to express her concerns over trans women’s participation in women’s sports.
Clapping back at a video of Kirsty Burrows, head of the safe sport unit at the IOC, Rowling wrote, “A young female boxer has just had everything she’s worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her. You’re a disgrace, your ‘safeguarding’ is a joke and #Paris24 will be forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini.”
In another tweet, Rowling wrote on X while sharing a picture of Carini in tears and Khelif trying to comfort her after the match was cut short, “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who’s knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.”
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How Was Imane Khelif Allowed To Compete In The Olympics?
Recent events have caused a frenzy amongst people as to whether Imane Khelif is eligible to participate in Women’s sports or not. There are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation involved during this discussion.
As it is widely known, the Olympic Games have certain eligibility criteria that participants need to fulfill in various areas including gender.
Contrary to the online claims and misinformation, Imane Khelif is not a transgender woman or a “biological man”, and she has not undergone any procedures for a sex change. Her Algeria-issued passport lists her gender as female and Khelif has always been played as a registered female.
Khelif was born a female but she has a Disorder of Sex Development (DSD) which may give her XY chromosomes and testosterone levels similar to a male athlete. Although her heightened testosterone levels have been a reason for her being disqualified from last year’s World Championship in India, the same did not breach the IOC rules to compete at the Games.
Through thorough investigations, the IOC revealed that she should be allowed to compete and her relatively modest competitive record (14 fights, nine wins, five losses) does not suggest an overwhelming physical advantage.
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