MOSCOW, August 10 British evolutionary biologist and author of several scientific papers Richard Dawkins said his Facebook* account was deleted after he posted that boxers who are genetically male should not compete with women.
Algerian Iman Khelif (weight category up to 66 kg) and Lin Yuting (up to 57 kg) from Taiwan, who failed the gender test, became Olympic champions at the 2024 Games in Paris.
«My Facebook account* was deleted, probably because (I was not given a reason) I wrote that boxers who are genetic men, like Iman Khelif (undeniable XY chromosome), should not compete against women in the Olympics. Of course, my opinion is open to civilized discussion. But is this outright censorship?» Dawkins wrote on the X social network.
Earlier, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the participation of Khelif and Lin Yuting in the women's tournament, despite the fact that at the 2023 World Championships (held under the auspices of the IBA) they failed a gender test that showed elevated testosterone levels in their bodies. Italian Angela Carini gave up after 46 seconds in the 1/8 finals of the tournament with Khelif, and then announced her retirement. In the quarterfinals, Khelif defeated Hungarian Luca Hamori. The broadcast of the fight included a moment in which Hamori complained to the coach: «I can't beat him, he's a man.»
*The activities of Meta (social networks Facebook and Instagram) are banned in Russia as extremist