How should Christians respond to the gender controversy in women’s Olympic boxing?

“I have never been hit so hard in my life.” That was Angela Carini’s response following defeat in the ring against Imane Khelif in the Olympics preliminary round of women’s boxing. Carini, an Italian fighter, lasted a mere 46 seconds before removing herself from the fight after taking a forceful punch to the nose. Her opponent, Imane Khelif, hails from Algeria and has become the center of the most recent culture war firestorm regarding women’s athletics.

An unfair fight

Advocates for protecting women’s sports spoke up immediately after the Carini-Khelif faceoff on Thursday to report that Khelif had previously been disqualified from international competition for not meeting gender requirements. Carini knew Khelif’s history, and after the fight, she told reporters it was not up to her to decide whether or not the fight was fair, but she had to quit to “safeguard [her] life.”

Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, expressed her support for Carini and then spoke about the fairness of the fight, stating, “From my point of view, this was not an equal competition. I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not participate in women’s competitions. Not because we want to discriminate against anyone, but to protect the rights of female athletes to compete on equal terms.”

Much of the online discourse regarding yesterday’s fight has been fueled by raw emotion over the sensitive issue, creating confusing and conflicting narratives about Khelif. Here’s what we know:

Khelif was born with a Difference of Sexual Development (DSD), which can result in a variety of unique circumstances. In this case, reports indicate that the Algerian boxer was born with a male chromosomal make-up (XY), testes rather than ovaries, but with female sex organs. DSD results in male levels of testosterone.

Khelif is not the only Olympic boxer born with a DSD. Similar questions have been raised about the eligibility of Lin Yu Ting, a Tawainese boxer who unanimously won a preliminary match against Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova on Friday morning. Both Khelif and Lin were disqualified from last year’s International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championship after failing a gender test. Though the IBA previously governed Olympic boxing, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) now oversees the sport and enforces its own set of rules.

The IOC released a lengthy statement in response to the controversy.

The statement indicates that Khelif and Lin both meet the committee eligibility requirements, and passports are relied on for gender verification. Furthermore, the IOC believes that any previous disqualification of the boxers was done arbitrarily because “the two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category.” Lastly, the IOC used the statement to indicate that eligibility standards will not be adjusted in the middle of the competition.

Protecting women’s sports

While neither boxer identifies as transgender, allowing them to compete in the women’s bracket clearly gives each of them a competitive advantage. Every physically demanding sport requires reasonable restrictions to maintain competitive balance, and Thursday’s incident is just the most recent in a long line of examples that threaten the existence of women’s sports.

The most memorable incident in recent memory involved Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who was awarded an NCAA championship in 2022 over women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines. Thomas lost a legal battle in June and was barred from competing in the Olympics. Despite that ruling, the Olympic Committee defers to different associations for determining eligibility standards in each sport. In boxing, no rule was set, nor was testing completed that would have prevented Khelif and Lin from participating.

Though much of the public discourse has revolved around Khelif’s gender identity, it is important to remember Angela Carini and the reason why this conversation is important. Boxing is a dangerous sport to begin with, but the Olympic Committee placed Carini in a position that compromised her safety and well-being. The same is true for each woman who faces off with Khelif and Lin Yu Ting as the competition continues.

The fact that both have been beaten in the past does not negate their biological advantage, and a loss later in these games would not change the facts of the situation.

When engaging with the culture, Christians should be concerned about inequality and discrimination wherever it shows up. In this particular case, Christians must stand for biblical and biological truth. We should confidently fight for women’s sports to remain safe, competitive, and fair. I want my daughter to grow up in a world in which she can adequately and safely compete in any sport she chooses.

At the same time, how we engage with that conversation is just as important.

Seeking the whole truth

Part of standing for truth is searching for truth, which might require drudging through the chaotic culture war for clarity. Christians need to know that this circumstance is different from that of Lia Thomas or other transgender athletes.

If Khelif and Lin were born with a DSD, then that means that our perfect Creator God made them that way with a purpose. Neither has sought to change their gender to gain a competitive advantage and, as a people called to be both merciful and truthful, Christians need to be sensitive toward that reality.

The apostle Paul commands the church to, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Col. 3:12). Such words are a reminder that everyone involved in the boxing dilemma is made in the image of God and deserving of our compassion, since compassion was first shown to us at the Cross. Hot-button issues incite emotional gut reactions that are not always reflections of these virtues. Christians should heed Paul’s call to humility and meekness, opposing the tendency to respond swiftly without kindness or without all the facts.

As the battle over women’s athletics continues, Christians should pray for wisdom and discernment for decision-makers at every competitive level. Innumerable instances will surface in the years ahead that risk compromising female competition. Parents, administrators, and commissioners around the globe have a crucial role in guarding the safety and stability of girls’ sports.

However, unless you are part of one of those decision-making bodies, our primary role will be to engage with those discussions in a way that points people back to Jesus and honors the example he set for us. So, before you send that next post or discuss this situation with others, take some time to ask the Holy Spirit to help you speak with both truth and love, remembering that he calls us to both in equal measure.