Logan Paul Backtracks After Comments About Algerian Olympic Boxer
There has been no shortage of controversy surrounding Algerian Olympic women's boxer Imane Khelif, due to misinformation being spread online about her gender identity. But after the International Olympic Committee spoke out on Thursday, at least one of Khelif's detractors, social media influencer turned WWE wrestler Logan Paul, has walked back his remarks on social media.
The backlash started this week when Khelif went up against Italian boxer Angela Carini, in a match that lasted just 46 seconds before Carini threw in the towel. It then surfaced that the International Boxing Association had disqualified Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan from competing in the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships in 2023 over ambiguous testing in which they "were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors."
That led to speculation about what kind of testing, exactly, had been performed, forcing the IBA to issue a statement this week that Khelif and others "did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential."
According to Deadline, Paul, who once filmed the corpse of a suicide victim and uploaded the footage to his YouTube channel, called Khelif's participation in the Olympics "the purest form of evil unfolding right before our eyes" in a since-deleted post on Thursday. "A man was allowed to beat up a woman on a global stage, crushing her life’s dream while fighting for her deceased father," he wrote. "This delusion must end."
But after the IOC released its statement defending Khelif and Yu-Ting, in a follow-up post Paul wrote "OOPSIES" in all-caps and admitted that he "might be guilty of spreading misinformation along with the entirety of this app."
"Although she’s been previously disqualified for failing a 'gender test' and has XY chromosomes, some sources say Imane Khelif was born a biological woman," Paul continued, though he stopped short of supporting trans athletes. "I stand by my sentiment that biological men should not compete against biological women in any sport and if you disagree you’re a sick f--k," he added.
‼️ OOPSIES ‼️
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) August 1, 2024
I might be guilty of spreading misinformation along with the entirety of this app
Although she’s been previously disqualified for failing a “gender test” and has XY chromosomes, some sources say Imane Khelif was born a biological woman
I stand by my sentiment… https://t.co/oVfWARylCJ pic.twitter.com/S2QvHPHwWg
To be clear, while a previous statement attributed to the former head of the IBA claimed Khelif has XY chromosomes, the results of these tests have not been verified or publicly released. All evidence indicates that Khelif was assigned female at birth; she has never publicly identified as transgender or intersex, and claims about her genetics and testosterone levels are largely speculative. Algeria does not allow for medical gender transition or recognize transgender people on official documents, and Khelif is designated "female" on her passport.
In its statement, the IOC said it was "saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving."
"We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024," the statement read. "The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships, and IBA-sanctioned tournaments."
"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process," the note continued.
"The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure—especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years," the organizers added. "Such an approach is contrary to good governance."
Joint Paris 2024 Boxing Unit/IOC Statementhttps://t.co/22yVzxFuLd pic.twitter.com/fZvgsW8OOi
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) August 1, 2024
On Thursday, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams issued a statement to clear the rumors for once and for all.
“There has been some confusion that somehow it’s a man fighting a woman. This is just not the case scientifically," Adams told the New York Times.
“The question you have to ask yourself is, are these athletes women? The answer is yes, according to their eligibility, their passport, their history," he continued. "The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, [and] has a female passport."