In a statement on Thursday, the IOC said that Khelif and Lin had been “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 IOC said.
“According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA secretary general and CEO. The IBA board only ratified it afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA regulations. The minutes also say that the IBA should ‘establish a clear procedure on gender testing’.
“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.
“Such an approach is contrary to good governance.”
The IBA insisted its decision was “necessary to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition”.
It said in a statement earlier this week: “The athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential. This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.”
The IBA said Lin did not ultimately appeal against the IBA’s decision to Cas, while Khelif withdrew an appeal, “thus rendering the decisions legally binding”.