There are many people who have managed to say things that make sense succinctly, and are then quoted regularly by the rest of us to sum up what we think or feel.
One such quote is “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” This quote is frequently used, but how many remember who it comes from? It is from the English poet John Lydgate, although because US President Abraham Lincoln used it many belief that they were his original words. John Lydgate was a monk, and a prolific poet who is believed to have died in 1451, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, yet these words are as true today as when one wrote them, and the other spoke them well over 100 years ago.
Today we have many who fail to realise the importance of these words.
The world is a complicated place, it always has been. There have been the haves and the have-nots for centuries, there has been religious conflict and war for centuries, as well as racism and other forms of prejudice. It doesn’t say much about the human race that these issues still exist, but some will argue that headway has been made with many.
Sport has always tried to stay away from politics, however most are well aware that sport is deeply entwined with politics and never more so than after the second World War. Regrettably many in sport have now become compromised as they cannot survive without the support of the politicians. If you put out your hand and ask for money there comes a time when you have to pay back that debt. Today it is aligning your sport with social issues that are on the Political agenda.
Politicians historically have always gone where the votes are, that has determined their policies. So those who were sensitive to real and perceived social and political injustices were in the main ignored. Their votes were not going to influence whether they held power or not.
Wokeism is the label given to those fighting for these injustices. It is worth acknowledging that Woke was in fact an adjective derived from the language spoken by African Americans and referred to an alertness to racial prejudice and discrimination. Since 2010 it has been adopted to encompass a much larger group of individuals or groups who feel they are being discriminated against.
Ironically when one searches for what the core beliefs of Wokeism are the following is written: “Retain your moral and intellectual independence at all cost. Do not accept unwarranted guilt. Do not succumb to groupthink or peer pressure.”
Do not succumb to group think or peer pressure!
Yet it would appear that this is what the Western World is in fact doing.
Back in May this year Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called out the West when he said in an interview that this movement has a negative knock-on effect. “You become hypersensitive when other people somehow or other say things or mention things or refer to you, without the respect which you or your super subgroup feel you are entitled to.” He said before adding, “It leads to very extreme attitudes and social norms particularly in some academic institutions, universities, you talk about safe spaces, you talk about appropriate pronouns, you talk about how, ‘i’m about to say something which may be offensive to you, if you don’t want to hear it perhaps you would like to leave now?’ and life becomes very burdensome, and I do not think we want to go in that direction. It does not make us a more resilient cohesive society with a strong sense of solidarity. We must be more robust.” Powerful words which many at the time agreed summed up the current situation that we find ourselves in.
As Lydgate and Lincoln both realised ‘you can’t please all of the people all of the time.’
While social media may try to convince us that life is a popularity contest the truth is it isn’t.
It is often worth remembering the line from the film “Heathers,” “if you were happy every day of your life you wouldn’t be a person, you would be a game show host.” We do not live in a world in which everything is perfect and everyone gets what they want, especially in sport where the aim of most games is that there is a winner and a loser.
The world and sport needs strong leadership, but regrettably in politics and in sport we are witnessing leaders trying to be all things to all people.
There has been a great deal of coverage in the media and on social media following Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrawing from her bout with Algerian boxer Imane Khelif after 46 seconds. Carini has been reported as saying “I have never been hit so hard in my life.”
The controversy has gathered momentum because her opponent was in 2023 disqualified and banned from participating in her gold medal match at the women’s World Championships in New Delhi. The reason given was that she did not meet the gender eligibility criteria of the International Boxing Association.
The reason for the ban was allegedly because tests found that the Algerian boxer – as well as Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting – had the presence of XY chromosomes in their system; chromosomes typically found in males. It is important to remember that this has never been confirmed.
Both are believed – again not confirmed – to have been impacted by a Difference of Sexual Development (DSD). This is where there is a developmental abnormality in secondary sex characteristics. This is a medical condition which can manifest with children being born with ambiguous or disfigured genitalia. Often male children that are impacted by DSDs are “assigned female at birth” due to these genital defects. This is because there is at that time a genuine assumption that they are girls.
One feels for Carini in Paris, as she obviously felt that this was an unfair situation, and that she had to protect herself.
One can equally feel for Imane Khelif as she has not done anything wrong. As far as most people are aware she is a woman, and was raised as such . At this point in time there is only speculation that she has been born with XY Chromosomes. She has never been classified as Transgender. Yet many have incorrectly claimed that to be the case.
Since the bout in Paris the IBA has released two separate statements. The first confirmed that Khelif and Lin were not subject to testosterone testing, but had instead been subjected to a separate test validated by two independent laboratories.
That test the International body claimed confirmed that they were not eligible to compete in women’s boxing as per the IBA guidelines.
When one looks at these guidelines the IBA defines a “woman” as “an individual with XX chromosomes.” These same guidelines advise that the gender tests they use to determine if a person is eligible to compete with women is a chromosomal test, and not a hormone test.
This is most likely to be where people have therefore assumed that both boxers possessed XY Chromosomes.
In their second statement the IBA condemned the IOC for allowing Khelif and Lin to compete at the Paris Olympic Games as they believed it was putting female boxers at risk. They went on to say that they did not support “boxing between the genders.”
Some have asked why the IBA has not shared the results of those tests from the World Championships. The answer is that they are no permitted to, and if they did could open themselves up to legal action.
Both boxers at that time had a right to appeal their suspensions and bans. That would have meant a trip to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Both opted not to go down this path. One of the possible reasons for this is that all decisions handed down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport become available to the public.
South African runner Caster Semenya took the IAAF to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after they brought in a rule effective 8th May 2019 that applied to athletes with certain disorders of sex development (DSDs) that resulted in androgen sensitivity and testosterone levels above 5 nmol/L. Under the then new rules, these athletes were required to take medication to lower their testosterone levels below the 5 nmol/L threshold for at least six months, in order to compete in the female classification for certain events.
Semenya claimed that testosterone-suppressing medication, which she had taken from 2010 to 2015, had made her feel “constantly sick” and caused her abdominal pain, and that the IAAF had used her as a “guinea pig” to test the medication’s effects
As one can expect this was a very complex case, as these issues are complex and never black or white. Physician and genetics researcher Eric Vilain argued in favour of Semenya. He claimed that “sex is not defined by one particular parameter… it’s so difficult to exclude women who’ve always lived their entire lives as women.”
During the proceedings, the IAAF clarified that the regulations would only apply to DSD athletes with XY chromosomes. This comment implied that Semenya was one of those athletes.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Semenya’s challenge in a 2–1 decision. She took the case to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, who initially suspended the World Athletics rule while they decided their opinion. They reversed this decision in July 2019. Then dismissed Semenya’s appeal in September 2020. This was done on the grounds that because Caster Semenya was “free to refuse treatment to lower testosterone levels,” her “guarantee of human dignity” was not violated.
In February 2021, Semenya appealed the case to the European Court of Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in Semenya’s favour in a 4–3 decision in July 2023. Their finding was that the competition rules had discriminated against her, and indeed infringed on her human rights.
Despite that victory it did not see a change in the rules themselves, and World Athletics stated that the regulations would “remain in place.”
For Caster Semenya there were details that she may have wanted to keep private now out in the public domain. One has to admire her courage and determination to fight her case, she deserves our respect.
So looking at everything that she has gone through one can understand why these two boxers opted not to appeal the IBA’s decision. If they do possess XY Chromosomes such a process would reveal that to the world, and potentially could create even more problems in their lives.
At this time what has to be remembered is that Khelif has not just suddenly burst on the boxing scene. She took part in the 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships where she finished 17th. She also took part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where she was eliminated in the semi-finals. As has also been stated she is not unbeatable, she has lost in her boxing career.
If there is a serious issue, why has she been allowed to compete for the past 6 years? That is a question that those who support her are asking.
Could it be that she has worked hard since her Tokyo defeat and developed more power and become a stronger and better boxer? In which case surely she deserves to be applauded and respected?
To make the whole argument even more confusing is that Philippines fighter Hergie Bacyadan, who identifies as being a trans man, who was eliminated in his opening bout, has called for athletes who have previously failed testosterone and gender-eligibility tests to be banned from competing in the women’s events at the Olympics.
Bacyadan was born as a woman but asserts his “heart and mind” is that of a man, and that he is “attracted to women.” Watching his bout with Li Qian of China may have been confusing to many, as despite identifying as being a trans man Bacyadan was competing in the women’s boxing, and while he was referred to as ‘he’ his opponent was referred to as ‘she.’
The reason that Bacyadan is allowed to compete in this event is because as he has not undergone hormone replacement therapy or surgery.
Bacyadan was quoted as saying that he believed that athletes born with XY chromosomes should be allowed to spar against female boxers but insisted they should not be allowed to compete in the women’s competition.
While Bacyadan was born a woman, and has not undergone any hormone replacement therapy or surgery, his participation in the women’s boxing raises another very pertinent question, if you identify as being a man, why would you not want to compete against men?
The IOC has tried to make the Games open to all, including athletes defined as having “differences in sexual development” (DSD), which can include hormonal, chromosomal or reproductive differences. However the IOC has a duty of care.
The definition of an athlete who is categorised as DSD covers those who were assigned a female gender at birth, but have naturally occurring testosterone levels high enough to suggest internal sexual characteristics that are not typically male or female.
Individuals with XY Chromsomes often produce higher than normal levels of testosterone than expected in females.
Here is where some women who have had naturally high testosterone levels have felt aggrieved for decades. While they have been suspended, or in some cases banned no man that has had a naturally higher than what is perceived as normal testosterone level has ever suffered the same fate.
Testosterone is a naturally occurring steroid hormone secreted by the human sexual organs, particularly during adolescence. It is at this time that boys produce testosterone in greater quantities than girls to develop male physical markers – such as muscle mass or body hair. Testosterone plays an essential role in the development and functioning of male sexuality and fertility.
Juventus footballer Paul Pogba tested positive to testosterone during a doping control on August 20 2023, and was provisionally suspended. The second test also showed “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites.” So on the 29 February 2024, he received a four-year ban for doping from the Italian Anti-Doping National Tribunal, with the option to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
When testosterone is administered artificially either by injection, orally in tablet form or via a patch or gel applied directly to the skin, it can enhance sporting performance. It is however mainly used to increase muscular power. So in some sports there is no benefit in trying to increase your testosterone levels.
When the human body is producing naturally higher levels – without being artificially introduced – to what is deemed normal, sports find themselves in a quandary.
The issue at the Olympic Games with the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has not been one of Testosterone as far as those watching this story unfold are aware. Neither the IOC or the IBA, have indicated this.
What has been incredibly unfair is some of the comments being made on social media based purely on facial looks. There have been many athletes who have had to suffer such analysis over the years but social media has made it all the worse today.
At the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games Helen Stephens who won the Gold medal for the USA beating Silver Medallist Stanisława Walasiewicz – also known as Stella Walsh – who had won the gold in the 1932 Olympic Games for Poland. Stephens was accused of being a man, and at that time the International Olympic Committee performed a physical check on Stephens, and concluded that she was a woman.
The sting in this tale is that Stella Walsh was accidentally killed during an armed robbery in a parking lot in Cleveland, on December 4, 1980. An autopsy after Walsh’s death showed that she was intersex. While there has been some conjecture over the exact findings of the autopsy, the report showed that “most of her cells contained XY chromosomes, but some contained a single X0 chromosome.” Coroner Samuel Gerber said that Walsh was, “socially, culturally and legally” a woman, but that her sex would have been ambiguous at birth.
Which shows that this is not a new issue. It also shows that the IOC despite all its improved testing still does not have a solution 88 years later.
The biggest problem is that in most cases these issues only come to the fore once the athlete is successful. In both Caster Semenya’s and Imane Khelif’s cases it is hard to find any commentary about their competing being unfair when they started out. It has only occurred once they have become succesful.
So is sport going to have to resort to forcing each athlete to undergo a thorough medical once they reach a certain level to avoid situations like this occuring in teh future?
Australian boxer Marissa Williamson-Pohlman when interviewed by Channel Nine said “Obviously, at the moment it’s just speculation. Allegedly there has been DNA tests done that Imane is XY. So if that’s the case then, [firstly], come forward with that and own up to it and, [secondly], the IOC should be stepping in because trying to make it fair for one person is making it unjust for so many more.”
Is this in truth a situation the IOC is trying to make it fair for one person but unjust to so many more? Is this proof that sport is lacking strong leadership and trying keep everyone happy, but in the end is killing the event for the majority?
We are already seeing some sports opting not to differentiate between Men’s and Women’s events. (De-Sexing Sport and Should Two Become One at World Rugby?) Which leads one to believe that the only path they can head down is to make all sports open to men and women, unisex events. That we all know is never going to happen, and we have witnessed various battles of the sexes over the years.
The other option is to create events for DSD athletes or those who are transitioning, however many of these individuals want to be accepted as male or female. Also would there be enough to have a meaningful competition? Again this is not a suggestion that is likely to ever happen.
Sadly, in the end it comes down to respecting the sport and the integrity of the competition. It is sad to see the athlete on the receiving end of so much hate, when they are not at fault, but those who make the rules are. In this case the International Olympic Committee, who are running the Boxing tournament in Paris. At the end of the day it is the administrators who have a responsibility to protect the reputation and integrity of the sport, and the athletes to uphold it. It would appear that the IOC and a number of other sports have boxed themselves into a corner that is going to be hard to get out of.
Currently, as outlined, why would an athlete who may have XY Chromosomes, who has been raised as a female, and who wants to participate and excel in sport ever come forward and admit that physiologically they may be different? There has to be a better way to creating a more open and honest competition, and one in which the athlete is not destroyed publicly and teh integrity of the competition is not brought into question.
It would appear that as The Singapore Prime Minister predicted trying to be “woke” is “very burdensome.” Then there is the matter of being woke, where you are supposed to “not succumb to group think or peer pressure.” Yet as as society, and as a sporting body you have to bow to one groupthink or you lose everything. The hard thing is deciding which groupthink is in the best interests of the sport in the long term.
That is what leadership is, making decisions that may not be popular with everyone, but which are in the best interests of the sport. Which takes us back to the wisdom of John Lydgate and Abraham Lincoln. This is definitely a case where “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”
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