"It's the ultimate betrayal of fairness, safety, and women by IOC" - Riley Gaines reacts to Imane Khelif winning gold medal at Paris Olympics

Riley Gaines has criticized the International Olympic Committee again for allowing Algeria’s Imane Khelif to compete at the Paris Olympics 2024. Khelif, alleged to have failed eligibility tests last year, won the gold medal in the women's welterweight division on August 9, 2024.

According to the International Boxing Association, Khelif had undergone two tests in 2022 and 2023. While IBA President Umar Kremlev claimed last year that the tests showed the boxer had XY chromosomes, IBA didn't reveal any details or results of the tests, calling the information "confidential." Khelif was disqualified at the 2023 World Boxing Championships based on these tests.

The IOC doesn't recognize the IBA currently, and allowed the boxer to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, saying that athletes' gender was decided based on the individual's passport details. Meanwhile, Khelif and the Olympic Organizing Committee received criticism from some quarters after her first-round opponent Angela Carini withdrew from the fight.

Gaines, who has been against Khelif’s participation in the Paris Olympics ever since the controversy arose, slammed the authorities again after the Algerian boxer secured Olympic gold against China's Yang Liu. Gaines took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote in a post:

“BREAKING: Imane Khelif (XY) dominated World Champion Lang Liu (XX) to win an Olympic gold medal. Let me repeat that: a MALE has taken a WOMAN'S Olympic gold. This is what they call this "progress." It's the ultimate betrayal of fairness, safety, and women by @iocmedia.”

Gaines also related the circumstances to domestic violence, writing:

“It used to be called domestic violence when a man would punch a woman in the face with the intent of knocking her unconscious. Now, we call these same men Olympic champions & award them a shiny gold medal.”

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Riley Gaines also opposed Lin Yu-ting's participation at the Paris Olympics

Riley Gaines at the Celebrities Visit SiriusXM event in May 2024 - Source: Getty

Along with Imane Khelif, Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting was also reported to have failed the IBA tests last year. She competes in the women's featherweight 57 Kg category and has reached the final at the 2024 Olympics.

Riley Gaines, who has opposed both Khelif and Lin's participation at the Paris Olympics 2024, picked out a moment where she said Lin landed "4 punches to the back of the head." On a social media post, Gaines called the incident an instance of "IOC's cowardice," saying:

“4 punches to the back of the head (by a male nonetheless)??? And not a SINGLE point deducted??? If there were one video to portray the negligence and the cowardice of the IOC, this is it.”

While Gaines and several other people claim the two boxers are biologically male, the IOC and the individuals' respective boxing federations continue to maintain their stance that they are female.