Marissa Williamson Pohlman wants IOC to take a stance on intersex athletes competing against women

The Paris Olympics has been marred by a boxing gender eligibility scandal and a Aussie Olympian has called on the IOC to take a hardline stance.

Australian boxer Marissa Williamson Pohlman says intersex athletes should be banned from competing against women as boxing’s biological saga intensified on Thursday.

Drama raged at North Paris Arena after Italy’s Angela Carini was bashed in 46 seconds by Algerian Imane Khelif, an “XY chromosome” athlete who fought Williamson Pohlman two months ago at the Eindhoven Cup.

Algeria's Imane Khelif bashed Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds.

Williamson Pohlman lost in the final to Khelif and while the Aussie didn’t suffer the same beating — she went the entire three rounds — the 22-year-old was stung by the Algerian’s power.

The IOC is under pressure to ban XY chromosome athletes from competing against women and Williamson Pohlman urged the governing body to take a strong stance.

The IOC has cleared Khelif and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-Ting to fight against women in Paris — despite the duo being disqualified at last year’s world championships by the IBA for failing a sex test.

“To be honest, it’s rock and a hard place,” Williamson Pohlman, who avoided another meeting with Khelif after losing her round of 16 bout on Thursday.

“What I know is at the women’s world championship last year in India, the fighter from Algeria 66kg (Khelif) and the fighter from 57kg Chinese Taipei (Yu-Ting) had been gender assessed by IBA and I think that involved DNA testing.

“And the chromosomes that came back as XY, not XX, so they are biologically male, but obviously they can’t release that information.

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“If it was me, I would want to come forward and clear my name if that was an allegation against me to prove that I was a female and that is not what’s happening.

“The IOC need to take measures to ensure the safety of all athletes, not just one or two, all athletes.”

Williamson Pohlman said she saw Khelif’s one-round demolition of Carini, who suffered a bloodied nose from a crunching right hand, and was also wary of the Algerian’s power.

“I did watch Angela and I don’t know what happened,” she said.

Marissa Williamson Pohlman lost her round of 16 clash to Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori.

“I think she landed a jab and I saw her nose start bleeding within 30 seconds and then she had protested and taken her helmet off.

“Angela is a class fighter. I have fought her before.

“She is a very good fighter, my heart goes out to her.”

Asked if she felt Khelif’s power, Williamson Pohlman said: “I did notice it, but just keep fighting don’t you. It’s just a part of the sport, all you want to do is win, so I kept chucking punches. I didn’t get the decision against Imane, but it’s out of my control and out of my hands and the right people in the right places have to be doing the right thing for not just individuals but the whole cohort.”

Originally published as Marissa Williamson Pohlman wants IOC to take a stance on intersex athletes competing against women