IBA chief demands apology from IOC for unfairly treating boxers

Kremlev made the remarks amid renewed debates over gender regulations in elite sport, and ongoing disagreement between the IBA and IOC in defining athletes' eligibility to compete in women's divisions.

At the center of the controversy are Khelif and another boxer Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei, who were both disqualified from IBA-sanctioned events after two rounds of gender testing reportedly found them possessing XY chromosomes.

They were allowed to compete in Paris, though, by the IOC, which prioritizes legal documentation, such as passport sex designation, over biological findings with its own gender identification rules.

Lin also won gold in Paris, defeating Poland's Julia Szeremeta to bag the women's 57kg title one day after Khelif's win.

Two rounds of blood analysis of the two boxers, first carried out during the 2022 IBA Women's World Championships in Istanbul, followed by a second taken before the 2023 worlds in New Delhi, returned with identical results that did not match the eligibility criteria for IBA women's events, according to the association.

Trying to re-establish its prestige as the rightful international body of boxing, the IBA launched a series of development programs, including an esports initiative, a brand-new bare-knuckle league and the IBA Gym project, at the Istanbul event, aiming to enhance the sport's appeal at both the amateur and professional levels.

Its new professional boxing format, the IBA.Pro, separated from its continental and world championships system, made a strong impression on Wednesday with seven bouts, including two bare-knuckle fights, leaving the crowd in odds and adds for an adrenaline-rushing boxing show at the Rixos Tersane Istanbul.

In the main event on the card, British underdog James Dickens delivered a huge upset on the IBA.Pro Champions Night after he knocked out defending WBA interim and IBA Pro super-featherweight world title holder Albert Batyrgaziev of Russia in the fourth round.

Former unified world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury of Britain, American boxing legend Roy Jones Jr, his compatriot and multiple world title holder Terence Crawford, and supermodel Naomi Campbell, were among guests and celebrities attending the IBA event in Istanbul.