Both the White House and Kamala Harris’ campaign were silent when contacted for comment Thursday morning about whether they support biologically male, intersex or trans athletes competing against biological females at the Olympics.
The Trump campaign, meanwhile, quickly slammed the notion as uproar surrounds an Algerian fighter caught in the middle of a gender eligibility controversy after their opponent, Italian boxer Angela Carini, withdrew from the match 46 seconds in due to the impact of the punch.
“President Trump has been unequivocally clear that he will NOT stand for men competing in women’s sports – an insane and unfair reality that has been allowed to transpire because of Radical Left politicians like Kamala Harris. When he returns to the White House, President Trump will take immediate action to protect women and girls and overturn the Harris-Biden Administration’s radical rewrite of Title IX,” a Trump campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Imane Khelif, the Algerian Olympian, was disqualified from the 2023 World Boxing Championships after the International Boxing Association determined Khelif failed gender tests. According to Reuters, Khelif – who has “female” listed on her passport – was found to have elevated levels of testosterone.
“I got into the ring to fight,” the embattled fighter, Carini, said, according to Italy’s ANSA. “I didn’t give up, but one punch hurt too much, and so I said enough.”
“I’m going out with my head held high.”
IBA President Umar Kremlev explained the decision at the time, according to Russia’s Tass News Agency, saying that based on DNA tests, “we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes.”
“Such athletes were excluded from competition,” Kremlev said.
Khelif was authorized to compete by the International Olympic Committee, and the Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) addressed the criticisms before Thursday’s event.
“COA strongly condemns the unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets,” the organization said, via Reuters.
“Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics. The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion.”
Italian officials expressed concerns about Khelif’s eligibility.
“It is surprising that there are no certain, strict, uniform criteria at the international level,” Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said, adding it was strange “that there can be a suspicion, and far more than a suspicion, of an unfair and potentially dangerous contest for one of the contenders at the Olympics, an event that symbolizes sporting fairness.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told the U.K. paper, The Telegraph, “it was not an even contest.”
“I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions. And not because you want to discriminate against someone, but to protect the right of female athletes to be able to compete on equal terms,” Meloni said.
This is not the first controversy that has arisen since the Olympics began last week. Olympic organizers faced intense backlash from Christians and others worldwide regarding the opening ceremonies of the 2024 games after a skit featuring drag queens and a woman in a halo crown appeared to mock the Leonardo da Vinci painting of Jesus’ Last Supper.
If elected, Harris is expected to advance the Biden administration’s efforts to expand Title IX, the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools and educational institutions, now including protections against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
LGBTQ+ activists championed the change as a necessary one to prevent transgender students from facing certain restrictions. The rule took effect Aug. 1.
