Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland didn’t mince phrases in expressing his views on the controversy surrounding Olympic boxing.
Strickland is in line for an additional UFC middleweight title shot after defeating Paulo Costa at UFC 302. Earlier than that, he misplaced to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297, ending his middleweight title reign.
Strickland is rarely afraid to make his opinions recognized on quite a lot of points, together with gender. In gentle of the huge controversy surrounding Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, Strickland didn’t maintain again.
Sean Strickland goes off on Imane Khelif, 2024 Summer season Olympics
In a current publish to his X web page, Strickland weighed in on the controversy surrounding Khelif and Olympic boxing.
Here is the info. The Olympics did not take a look at this boxer for political causes. This boxer has failed a gender take a look at up to now. The boxer could also be intersex.. This case was created as a result of the Olympics failed their athletes and their followers out of political wokeness. pic.twitter.com/c5fRqGyiny
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) August 1, 2024
“Right here’s the info,” Strickland started. “The Olympics didn’t take a look at this boxer for political causes. This boxer has failed a gender take a look at up to now. The boxer could also be intersex.. This case was created as a result of the Olympics failed their athletes and their followers out of political wokeness.”
Khelif, an Algerian boxer, defeated Italy’s Angela Carini on the 2024 Summer Olympics this week. Simply seconds into the struggle, Carini give up the bout after taking a sequence of devastating punches to her face.
Khelif’s emphatic efficiency is marred by questions on their gender. Final yr, on the 2023 World Championships, Khelif failed a gender eligibility take a look at after testing optimistic for XY (male) chromosomes.
Regardless of the failed take a look at final yr, Khelif was nonetheless permitted to compete in Paris by the Worldwide Olympic Committee. It’s unsure if the IOC examined Khelif below related benchmarks.
For the reason that story went viral, it’s been reported that Khelif suffers from Swyer Syndrome, a genetic situation that may trigger a lady to be born with XY chromosomes. This is able to clarify the failed gender eligibility take a look at final yr, as Strickland referred to.
That hasn’t stopped many on-line from ripping Khelif and the IOC after the Carini bout. As of this writing, it’s unsure when Khelif will return to the ring in Paris.
Within the meantime, Strickland is including to the uproar concerning Khelif and their eligibility, particularly at a time through which transgender athletes are a hotly debated subject.
