Team Philippines’ Hergie Bacyadan, the only transgender athlete competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, slammed recent reports alleging that he wanted fellow boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting “banned.” On the contrary, the Filipino athlete doubled down on Imane and Lin’s “unquestionable” female identities.
A number of false claims have circulated since last week, alleging that Hergie, who partook in the women’s boxing events at the Olympics in Paris, France, wanted Team Algeria’s Imane and Team Taiwan’s Lin banned from the competition.
“I want to clarify and address the recent claims circulating on the internet regarding my involvement in the controversy about my two co-boxers,” Hergie exclusively told Bored Panda in an email.
He continued: “To set the record straight, I have never made any statements suggesting that they should be banned from the Olympics.
Team Philippines’ Hergie Bacyadan is the only transgender athlete competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
“I hold them in the highest regard and would never wish any harm or misfortune upon them.”
Imane and Lin faced ruthless bullying, especially on social media, with misinformation spreading about their identities, over the past week.
False claims that Imane and Lin were transgender women with physical advantages were fuelled on Thursday (August 1), after Italy’s Angela Carini quit just 46 seconds into her round-of-16 bout with Imane.
Hergie slammed recent reports alleging that he wanted fellow boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting “banned”
After the Algerian landed the first clean punch of the fight, Angela immediately turned to her team and opted against continuing, and the Italian soon collapsed to her knees in tears.
The 25-year-old Italian could reportedly be heard telling her coach, “It’s not right, it’s not right,” and she later told reporters that she had never been hit so hard in her career.
Angela subsequently refused to shake Imane’s hand after she was announced as the winner in Paris.
On the contrary, the Filipino athlete doubled down on Imane and Lin’s “unquestionable” female identities
With several notable transphobic figures using the fight to further controversy, the International Olympic Committee clarified that both Imane and Lin complied with entry requirements, were cisgender women, and condemned any misleading information harming the athletes.
Transgender means one’s gender identity is different from the gender that the doctor gave them when they were born, based on the way their body looked. That label is called “sex assigned at birth” — usually “male” or “female.”
Meanwhile, when a person has the same gender identity as the sex the doctor assigned them at birth, they are considered to be “cisgender” — like a man who was assigned male at birth or a woman who was assigned female at birth.
“I am fully aware that these two athletes are cisgender women,” Hergie told Bored Panda. “I have met them personally, and they are unquestionably women, fully qualified and deserving of their place in the competition.”
The boxer, who lost against China’s Li Quan in the 75kg class on Wednesday (July 31), continued: “The criticism they are receiving on social media is entirely unfounded and unjust.
“As a fellow athlete, I understand the pressures and judgments that come with the territory, but this level of unfounded scrutiny is unfair to them.”
Hergie has not undergone any hormonal replacement therapy or surgeries, proudly competing with an athletic and natural body
Hergie identifies as a transgender man, and as such, is the only transgender athlete who has competed at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Gender-affirming medical treatments and surgeries are available globally to help a transgender person with their often life-debilitating gender dysphoria. The treatments can help a person transition from one gender to another.
Nevertheless, Hergie has not undergone any hormonal replacement therapy or surgeries, proudly competing with an athletic and natural body he has worked hard to achieve.
“Regarding my own eligibility, I want to emphasize that I have adhered to all Olympic requirements and am biologically a woman,” Hergie explained. “Despite any misconceptions about my appearance or identity, my qualifications as a female boxer remain intact.”
Hergie echoed his statement on his Instagram page, where he has received support from the LGBTQ+ community.
“Born and raised female, I maybe navigated a world that assigned me a gender I do not resonate with,” the boxer said in a previous post on Instagram. “Despite being recognized as female by those around me, my story highlights the importance of self-identification and the need for supportive environments that honor one’s gender identity.”
