A debate erupted during the Paris Olympics when Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting triumphed in boxing, with questions raised about their eligibility to participate in the women’s competition.

“The Paris Games boxing controversy stems from misinformation, wrongly turning it into a transgender issue, which it clearly is not,” Bach stated.

He confirmed that both athletes were born and identified as women and that there were no claims of them being transgender.

“The situation was a result of a Russian-led disinformation campaign that manipulated the truth. Both athletes were incorrectly labeled as transgender, which they are not.”

Last month, Khelif accused the International Boxing Association (IBA) of making “false and baseless” allegations against her.

The IBA, which was stripped of its Olympic status in 2023 due to governance issues, has initiated legal action against the IOC for permitting her to compete.

Bach, who has served as the head of the IOC since September 2013, is due to retire from his position in June.