THANK YOU MATTHEW PINSENT

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On the Beeb now saying clear as day that the entire controversy over the boxing was wrong, it was the IOC's own fault and it needs fixing in the next Olympics cycle. No mention of individual athletes - the blame squarely where it belongs, with the mess the IOC allowed to happen.

I was a rower so he's a bit of a God to me anyway, but to say it so clearly and simply when I've been infuriated by practically everything I've read or heard about it, whichever angle it was from, was just AWESOME.

Also watching and I'm glad he brought it up. Well done Matthew pinsent

Yes I saw this too, he was great - had to double check it was the BBC!

Yes agreed, I was gobsmacked to hear a BBC presenter state this so emphatically, finally. But it has taken them too long to do so.

He was very clear:

the IOC fucked it up,

the IOC needs to sort it out,

inclusion and fairness don’t work in sports.

Well said Matthew.

Isn't this the guy who can prove he is directly descended from god?

Fair play to him.

Totally agree. I cheered out loud when he said it. Huge respect to you Matthew Pinsent.

So so glad that men/people in high profile positions are finally speaking out.

Thank you Matthew Pinsent.

That was weird - in a good way! I wonder how it will go down at the BBC. The central point is that the IOC did not / refused to gender test for the female boxing category. Could have all been managed properly so easily.

That's David Icke.

👏👏

Yes!!! Good for him

I have read that boxing might not be included in 2028 Olympics.

Very refreshing to see this situation presented as it is currently a mess, well said Matthew.

Gender testing it needs to be done in time for the next Olympic cycle

Rower here too. Has Katherine G said similar in her capacity ahead of in sport?

The IOC have run it for the past two Olympics (rather than its own governing body, like the IAAF for athletics), and they've basically said that won't happen again, and it needs its own governing body that the IOC recognises to be able to be included.

I think (but I'm not sure) that that was the case before this controversy.

I think you mean sex testing, heaven help us if we start trying to categorise athletes into genders, the IOC can’t cope with two categories let alone a plethora of imagined self identities!

But I agree with you, it has to be sorted out as soon as possible.

Any idea where I can see this? I don't have iPlayer but perhaps I can find a clip on yt if someone tells me what show it was on?

I didn't catch his name, but was this the guy who just said we can't have equality AND inclusion? Amazing!

It was just on the bbc chat they were having in the lead up to the closing ceremony.

Brilliant!

I like the comment that IOC tried to organise boxing after excluding the experts in organise boxing.

It looks doubtful they have the expertise to run any sport to be fair.

Yes, I definitely meant sex testing, all the talk about "gender testing" in all the coverage must have made me write that!

He is Matthew Pinsent, a UK Gold medal winning rower, good to see a very well respected and male (former) athlete pinning his colours to the mast. First Daley Thompson, now Matthew, let’s hope more start speaking up to join the female former athletes who have been saying this for many years.

🙂

Finally, someone speaking clearly and sensibly and bringing the problem down to the fundamental issue.

All boxing?

I don't watch boxing at all but I'm conflicted if it's to be removed because of the IOC's incompetence and vacillations rather than for principled reasons.

NB: I didn't see this before today but I was looking up Barbara Buttrick (British woman who was first World Champion in Women's Boxing, 1957) and came across this brief news piece from June '24.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxeelmvyd9go

ETA: That brief segment was probably very courageous of Matthew Pinsent!

can see it now-the 100 meters cat gender (whilst wearing a trilby at a jaunty angle) Jeez, it really has to come to this hasn't it?