In an exclusive interview with prominent website Inside The Games, Dr Gabriele Martelli, President of the IBA/EUBC Coaches Committee and Secretary General and Head Coach of the Malta Boxing Federation, one of the most authoritative voices in the field, gave his opinion on the case of Imane Kelif, the athlete with high testosterone levels taking part in Paris 2024.
In the midst of the controversy that has flooded the sporting world and even hit the political headlines in many regions in recent hours, Inside The Games turned to an expert in the field and a highly respected voice in the world of Olympic boxing, Dr Gabriele Martelli, who holds an honorary doctorate in Sociology and Behavioural Sciences.
I could not help but begin with a question about the case that has captured the world’s attention, that of the Algerian Imane Khelif, who defeated the Italian Angela Carini in 46 seconds in a controversial fight due to the African athlete’s hormonal condition.
Without losing focus for a second, the President of the IBA/EUBC Coaches Committee quickly turned to history. “First of all, we need to do a bit of history, because there is a lot of chaos around this issue. Personally, before the Games started, I made videos on my YouTube channel in which I explained that in the 75 kg category there is a transgender man who will be competing in this category, which is the heaviest for women, so the most dangerous”.
“Moreover, it has already been written in articles that are easily accessible online that if he wins a medal, he will be the first transgender man in history to win a medal. And this is what is being reported on the Internet in relation to the Filipino athlete,” Martelli said.
The key issue to analyse is the safety of the boxers, without discrimination, he insisted. “We must not discriminate, all boxers are boxers. Today, for example, in one of my recent videos, I explained once again that the only reason to discuss is whether it is safe or not”.
Milan-born Martelli clarified: “If an athlete loses in swimming or a race, we can consider whether it is a fair or unfair advantage. But no one is physically in danger. Emotionally, yes. Psychologically, yes, but not with life-threatening danger beyond the sporting advantage, which can be very significant”.
This is the central point of the matter for Martelli, who is also the general secretary and head coach of the Malta Boxing Federation. “This is the main difference between almost all sports and boxing. The discussion for boxing is that boxing is a dangerous sport and people die in the ring. That is why we have to be stricter and more careful with the competitors.
“So if someone was born a woman, or has always been a woman, but has a genetic disorder that gives her advantages that are considered excessive beyond acceptable limits, that not only gives her a competitive advantage, but also poses a risk to the life of her opponent, that is where the discussion needs to focus,” Martelli suggested.
On his role in instructing the trainers on this type of issue, he was clear: “I have always explained this point of view to the trainers.The first and most important rule of all is the safety of the boxers. The safety of the boxers is total”.
Without hesitation, he went on to call the attention of boxing trainers. “I have to protect the boxer. If my boxer has already been involved in this controversy and has been involved several times, I do not understand why they are exposing her like this. The IBA rightly disqualified the boxer because they felt she had an advantage over the other competitors. If, unfortunately, she suffers from a dysfunction, we cannot create such chaos by making the athlete fight, knowing that it is not good for the safety of the opponent and the boxer herself with the exposure.”
He also reflected: “As a trainer you have to know that if you know that the person is already affected by the controversy and you put them in the biggest competition in the world, the Olympics, things can go wrong. Then you are not protecting your athlete.”
When asked what could be done to address this reality, which is not very common but is a current reality, the Italian said: “We have created categories for disabled athletes for a specific reason, to be fair to everyone. There should be no discrimination. We must protect all athletes, including those with such conditions, and not expose them as has been done. It is not right. This has even reached Elon Musk. From the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, to the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni. This exposure is not good for the athlete, who, I repeat, must always be protected”.
The conversation gained momentum and the question of responsibility arose. If, at least to his knowledge, there could be an ideological war and if the IOC wanted to appear inclusive to show that the IBA was not, he affirmed without hesitation: “Exactly. I think they were accepted to prove ideologically, politically, that we accept those who are not accepted by the IBA. The IBA did the right thing because their decision was to protect the athletes in and out of the ring. This person is not having a good time with all this media chaos”.
Regarding the relationship between the IOC and Kelif, he did not hesitate to claim that “they are using the athlete. Surely the athlete did not want this kind of attention. The athlete, despite having this disorder and not competing properly with women, is still an athlete with desires and dreams like any other”.
When asked about the rules and changes the IOC made to allow participation in Paris, sidelining the organisation that had regulated it for years, he responded with a question: “Why don’t we make the rules together? The IOC knows how to organise, but the rules are ours for life. But the IOC did not want to allow the IBA to organise the tournament. All the boxers are IBA boxers, who have always been IBA and AIBA. The referees, the officials, the coaches, the rules are all AIBA, but the IOC is directly responsible. It is a bit ridiculous because they do not have the experience or the strength.
“They do not know the sport like the IBA does. I am not saying this in an offensive way. The IBA does not claim to know how to organise Olympic tournaments. We know boxing. And we always do. Period. It is very simple. It is not that complicated. The IOC has realised that it is not so easy to organise a boxing tournament because there are many things to take into account,” Martelli added.
