Biology and Fairness in Female Sport with Dr Emma Hilton

Dr. Emma Hilton is a developmental biologist at the University of Manchester, who has expertise in human genetic disease as well as fairness in female sports. In this video, she talks to Quillette's Canadian Editor, Jonathan Kay, on the recent controversy surrounding women's boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympics involving gold-medalists Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting.

For more on the controversy, please read Quillette's explainer by Professor Doriane Coleman: "XY Athletes in Women's Olympic Boxing: Paris 2024 Controversy Explained (Khelif & Yu-Ting)"

And for more from Dr. Hilton, please read: "From Banana Slugs to Human Beings, There Are Just Two Sexes"

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Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values.

Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology.

Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern heterodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship.

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[ianbedloe]

"Someone with a DSD cannot help the way they were born but they can choose not to cheat; they can choose not to take medals from women; they can choose not to cause injury." -- Suzanne Moore, Columnist, The Times

[maryskelcher]

The IOC has a poor record on women's rights. Read Unfair Play by Sharron Davies for more info

[desertcat]

"How do we balance..." As a former high school and collegiate basketball player, this attitude irks me. There is no way to create "balance" when it comes to having males compete against women in any organized sports. The claim of "balance", "fairness", "compassion", "kindness" are uniformly used to diminish the importance and sovereignty of women only sports.

[Shahrdad]

When I saw Khelif's coach put her on his shoulders, I immediately thought that the coach knows that Khelif is a male. It's extremely unlikely that a Moslem man would ever do that with a Moslem woman, especially a woman who is not a spouse or a sibling, and they come from a very conservative Muslim country. The coach knows Khelif is a male.

[FinaAxelina]

Thanks! This was very well and educationally explained❤❤❤❤❤. If you have gone through male puberty, you have nothing to do in women's sports. nothing at all!

[jccusell]

It is 2024 and we need medical scientist to explain to us that men boxing against women is not fair.

[oliverhug]

Here some specific statistics from Helen Joyce’s book Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality:
“The average adult man has 41 percent more non-fat body mass (blood, bones, muscles and so on) than the average woman, 50 percent more muscle mass in his legs and 75 percent more in his arms. His legs are 65 percent stronger, and his upper body is 90 percent stronger. The overwhelming upper-body advantage is nowhere near accounted for by differences in size – as can be seen in weightlifting competitions, where competitors are banded by weight, and the male world champion in each category lifts around 30 percent more than the female one.”

[kimherdman]

seriously, the two boxers knew in 2022 of the tests. They did know. I would also think that in puberty when they didn't get a period and grew the male body something would have clicked that something was not as it should be. They were given the results and they did crash the party. The coaches tried for the past year to get the testosterone level down. This be nice is not being nice to all the other women athletes as well as every woman in the world. I am done giving these people the benefit of the doubt and the kindness they don't deserve.

[Michelle-vvlk]

I cannot fathom how anyone can’t see how dangerous it is to let a male fight a woman

[Viky.A.V.]

Anyone else here wishing to return to school with Emma as both the biology teacher and the principal?

I mean, I love biology, and my teacher was good. but Dr Hilton is a real gem.

[insidiousmischka]

The female boxers that were forced in the ring with males should sue IOC. And the males themselves.

[tinawebley]

Yes, he deserved sympathy for the adolescent he was but he knows he's a man now and knows he shouldn't be punching women.

[JamesVytas]

This doctor is very clear and concise describing the nuances of sex in sport and the issues that surround them.

[MagicCarpetMusic]

Khelif and the other boxer were tested by two officially recognised labs as to whether they qualified as female. They failed both tests. AND THEY ACCEPTED THE RESULTS!

[gy]

How women's safe less important to one man's health problem.

[gb]

1) I box and know that there had been complaints about Imane Khelif for years. This was before the IBA tests and their involvement. Female boxers, coaches, and boxing organizations filed complaints about Khelif being a man ever since he started in the adult womens boxing circuit. Look at his fight with Brianda Cruz from a year ago. He almost massacred her, and he's walking into her punches without flinching and with his guard down. He's not afraid of Cruz and can withstand her punches. He's also holding back a lot. That's a red flag.

2) This was handled privately initially. The IBA tested twice and found Khelif was a biological man. Khelif was given the opportunity to retest at the IBA's expense. Khelif refused. Khelif could have appealed and did so initially and then dropped the appeal and so he was banned from the world championships. This was over a year go when these tests were done, so Khelif knew about his genetics at least in 2023.

3) Khelif applied for the Olympics anyhow despite the genetic tests and despite being banned from the World Championships. The IBA sent a letter with the test results to the medical team for the IOC a year ago to warn them about Khelif. This was not done publicly, but a private letter with the test results. The IOC didn't respond and allowed Khelif in. They said they only use passports to verify biological sex.

4) When Khelif boxed Carini and Carini didn't last in the ring because her nose was broken and she was bloody, people knew Khelif was a man. His build, the blows to her face, and blood within 46 seconds are red flags of abnormal strength. The IBA was then forced to do a press releae on their website saying they told the IOC a year ago, and Khelif knew a year ago as well. This was now a safety and dangerous game that the IOC and Khelif were playing.

5) The IOC president, Thomas Bach, did a press conference and disregarded the IBA and their results. The IOC said they don't do testing at all. They only look at the passport. The IBA was then forced to do a press conference in Paris because Khelif was getting ready to fight more women and potentially seriously injure or kill a woman. Even the VP for the World Boxing Organization came out and said Khelif and several others were biological men.

6) The IOC has done nothing (not one single test) since and allows Khelif and other biological men to compete in a woman' s boxing competition. Khelif and his team try to drum up sympathy and do interviews and bring more attention to their so-called "private" situation. If it's private, then why does Khelif do interviews and constantly post on social media about it?

7) Khelif dresses, walks, talks, and sits like a young adult man. Khelif literally wears men's suits, clothing, and jewelry. It's so blatant, and Khelif posts pics on his Instagram flaunting it. He doesn't care because the IOC isn't stopping him.

This is essentially what happened. Everyone knew, including Khelif, and they are not going to stop until a woman is killed.

[elkiebeerepoot]

Thank you, Dr. Hilton (Emma). Much appreciated.

[VenomLeon]

Great and much needed conversation. Thank you. I wish we didn't had to discuss this topic at this day and age but here we are.. at a time where common sense doesn't seem quite that common at all.

[juanlamet]

Khelif could end this controversy immediately by allowing the IBA to release ALL of the results of her medical tests. The fact that she does not certainly raises concern.

(Note Karyotype is just an initial SCREEN. But more tests would need to be done to demonstrate she did not go through a testosterone mediated puberty.)

[prixat]

Athletes don't just 'turn up at the Olympics'! As soon as you get to to more than the regional level you're in the world of drug testing. If you reach the National/International level the testing gets more rigorous. There is no way after the IBA testing and ban that Khelif does not know exactly what condition 'she' has.