Outspoken Australian soccer commentator Lucy Zelic has voiced strong disapproval of the International Olympic Committee's decision to let two Zambian women's football stars compete in Paris. Zelic claimed the athletes were previously banned for failing gender tests.

Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji played pivotal roles for Zambia, scoring multiple goals against Australia in a thrilling match that ended 6-5 in favour of the Matildas on Monday.

In football, our technological and refereeing standards have evolved exponentially throughout the ages to the point where goal line technology and VAR was (controversially) introduced to ensure that every result was fair and just - with many games decided by mere centimetres.…

— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) July 30, 2024

In July 2022, Banda was excluded from the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) for reportedly failing a gender eligibility test, breaching FIFA's rules. Similarly, Kundananji was barred due to her testosterone levels exceeding the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) limits. However, a media investigation revealed both players were actually omitted for refusing hormone suppression treatments.

Zelic addressed the controversy on social media, calling it "the elephant in the room."

"In 2022, Barbra Banda and fellow players were denied the opportunity to represent their nation at WAFCON after 'failing gender eligibility tests'. Now, they are cleared to play at the Women's World Cup due to FIFA allowing internal gender assessments by teams," she noted.

"We are entitled to ask questions. We are entitled to know why the failed gender verification tests conducted in 2022 were ignored by FIFA in 2023 and continue to be ignored in 2024."

⚡️This post has REALLY upset the unhinged anon bot accounts 🤷‍♀️ https://t.co/fFqBwnPb3e

— Katherine Deves Morgan 🇦🇺🚺 (@deves_katherine) July 30, 2024

Joining Zelic's outrage was former Liberal Party candidate Katherine Deves, who ruthlessly mocked media reports on her social media comments.

My evidence is I looked at him @LucyZelic @MailOnline @DailyMailAU #Paris2024 #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/AsWI78BljI

— Katherine Deves Morgan 🇦🇺🚺 (@deves_katherine) July 30, 2024

The International Olympic Committee's 2021 guidelines claim to ensure athletes are not excluded based on transgender identity or sex variations while preventing unfair advantages. FIFA's regulations require member associations to verify players' genders before national team nominations by investigating any perceived deviations in secondary sex characteristics.