‘Steal trophies': Trump's LA Olympics sex test threat after Imane Khelif saga
The last Olympic Games in Paris were overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Algerian welterweight boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese featherweight fighter Lin Yu-ting, The Sun reports.
The duo both won gold medals in their respective weight classes amid a flurry of knockdowns.
But during the Games it emerged that they had been disqualified from the 2023 Women's World Championships in New Delhi by the former world governing body, the International Boxing Association (IBA), for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
In a statement, the IBA claimed the boxers 'did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential'.
They added: '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 pair were cleared to box in the French capital by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which stripped the IBA of its powers and status in June 2023 following concerns over its governance.
The IOC defended their position by declaring that 'as with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport'.
Late on Tuesday, US time, at an event to mark the LA Games, Mr Trump was asked a loaded question about trans people competing.
'Will the Department of Justice consider pressing charges against any man that tries to masquerade as a woman coming into this country to beat up American athletes?
'And secondly, would your administration consider genetic testing so that these people can actually prove that they are actually women competing?'
He replied: 'Well, I think there is going to be a very strong form of testing.
'As far as charges, I'd have to ask the Attorney-General about that. I don't know.
'But there will be a very, very strong form of testing. And if the test doesn't come out appropriately, they won't be in the Olympics.
Mr Trump added: 'United States will not let men steal trophies from women at the 2028 Olympics.'
Very few trans women have competed in the Olympics. But a threat to 'test' all women could lead to females who have never lived as a man being denied the ability to compete.
One of the biggest controversies of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was the gold winning medal success of Algerian welterweight boxer Khelif.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) had disqualified Khelif from a non-Olympic event because she had failed a 'confidential' gender test. But the Russian-led IBA was stripped of its powers – for unrelated reasons – with the Olympics allowing Khelif to compete.
Khelif is not transgender and has never lived as a man. There is some suggestion – which is unconfirmed – she could have chromosomes that most men have. But it is also not unheard of for some women to have those chromosomes.
An estimated 1.7 per cent of people are intersex. It is completely out of their control and means they may have some characteristics of the other gender despite never having lived as that gender.
Last week World Athletics approved new regulations requiring athletes who wish to compete in the female category at next month's world championships to undergo genetic testing to confirm their biological sex
Trump's second term will coincide with the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics — two major global sporting events taking place in the United States.
Trump, 79, will undoubtedly aim to take a starring role during the event – just like he did during the FIFA Club World Cup.
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