The International Olympic Committee on Thursday defended its decision to allow two female boxers to compete at the Paris Olympics despite an ongoing gender row, saying the pair were facing 'aggression' because of an arbitrary decision.

Algerian Imane Khelif, who won her round of 16 welterweight bout over Italian Angela Carini in 46 seconds, and Taiwan's double world champion Lin Yu-ting, who is fighting on Friday, have been cleared to compete in the Olympics.

Khelif's lightning-quick win over the Italian, who decided to pull out after a barrage of punches by the Algerian, piled more pressure on the IOC for allowing them to box in Paris.

Both fighters had been disqualified at the 2023 World Championships after failing International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules that prevent athletes with male XY chromosomes competing in women's events.

But the IBA was stripped of its recognition by the IOC last year over governance and finance issues, with the Olympic body running the boxing competition in Paris.

World Boxing president Boris Van Der Vorst also told The Associated Press on Thursday that his organization will always put athletes' safety first in developing its own policies on health and gender, while recognizing that combat sports sometimes require extra considerations to protect all athletes.

Van Der Vorst left the eventful day disappointed in the wild conclusions and speculation thrown across social media about both fighters.

“I have not seen one single test that is proving that (the boxers are) transgender,” Van Der Vorst said. “That's the reason why it's not very respectful for the boxers who are competing here ... to speak about them in these terms. That's what I'm trying to stress. When there is proof, yeah, that's a different situation. But I haven't seen anything that proves it.”

The IOC said the IBA decision to disqualify the boxers last year was arbitrary and the main cause for the furore that has seen people like British author J. K. Rowling and billionaire Elon Musk voice their opposition to them competing in the Games.

"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA," the IOC said in a statement. "Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.

"According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO."

Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has courted controversy after she referred to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif as a man. Ms Rowling's comment came after Khelif defeated Italian boxer Angela Carini at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.

Rowling posted on X, "Watch this (whole thread), then explain why you're OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment. This isn't sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over women."She also shared a video clip of the fight.

In another post, Rowling shared a photograph of Carini crying and Khelif looking at her. "Could any picture sum up our new men's rights movement better? The smirk of a male who's knows he's protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he's just punched in the head, and whose life's ambition he's just shattered."

However, Rowling's post has been criticised by many stating that Khelif was raised and identified as a female, and she is not a transgender. A user also pointed out that Algeria was a "Fundamentalist country where homosexuality and sex change are illegal and she had to go past the obstacles of her father's disapproval to be able to do Boxing."

Some sports have limited the levels of testosterone allowed for athletes competing in women's competition, while others ban everyone who has been through male puberty.

Differences of Sexual Disorder (DSD) are a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs. Some people with DSDs are raised as female but have XY sex chromosomes and blood testosterone levels in the male range.

Last year, Algeria's Khelif was disqualified hours before her gold-medal bout in the world championships in New Delhi as she fell foul of International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules, which do not allow athletes with XY chromosomes to compete in women's events.

The IOC said the rules of eligibility were based on those of the Tokyo Games in 2021 and cannot be changed during a competition.

"The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years," the IOC said.

"The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving," it added. "Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination."

With inputs from agencies