Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, both center of gender row controversy, to fight for gold in Paris Olympics

Gender row boxers Lin Yu-Ting and Imane Khelif shake off eligibility impasse; fight for gold spot next at Paris Olympics 2024.

Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, both center of gender row controversy, to fight for gold in Paris Olympics

Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting to compete for gold at Paris Olympics 2024 (Source: X)

Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting shakes off one controversy after another to snag wins to her name. Subsequently, she joined Algerian boxer Imane Khelif for the Paris Olympics 2024 top bill. Yu-Ting and Khelif, 25, have been the epicenter of a boxing gender war the whole season for failing gender eligibility tests last year. The IOC confirmed them as females in lieu of their assigned sex at birth and the passport.

Nevertheless, the slander and internet ridicule have been very apparent due to IBA stating the duo has XY chromosomes. Lin Yu-ting faced Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman for a women’s (—57 kg) semifinals. She defeated Yildiz 5-0 with a unanimous nod. However, instead of the proper sportsmanship, the rival opted to douse the viral ‘X’ imagery again.

YouTube video

Before this, Lin, 28, comfortably outclassed Svetlana Kamenova Staneva in a women’s (—57 kg) quarterfinal boxing match on August 4. Failing to clinch her first Paris 2024 Olympic medal, the opponent dissed her with an ‘XX’ chromosome signage.

FS Video

Meanwhile, Imane Khelif defeated Janjaem Suwannapheng 5-0 just a day before. Before this, she defeated Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the Women’s (—66kg) Quarter-finals and let out tears of joy. Coming under scrutiny after Khelif’s first victory, she had told the media scrum she’d remain a female and become a champ. Now, both will leave the Paris Olympics with a medal; the question is – which one?

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Boxing group IBA answers gender row questions but raises many more

Lin Yu-Ting, an Olympic boxer from Taiwan, has shaken off gender questions to win fight after fight. As has Imane Khelif, who first came under fire when Italian opponent Angela Carini quit ahead, fearing her power. They both faced a DQ for the 2023 Women’s World Championships for supposedly failing unspecified sex eligibility tests. The tests were by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), which no longer governs Olympic boxing. The IOC ad-hoc Boxing unit ruleset withdrew recognition and supports the duo.

Man in a woman's world at Paris Olympics? No answer on intersex boxer accusations
Man in a woman’s world at Paris Olympics? No answer on intersex boxer accusations (Source: worldboxingnews.net)

On a Saturday briefing marking the Games’ halfway point, IOC President Thomas Bach vigorously defended them again. He has reiterated that the IOC won’t be part of a “politically motivated” culture war. Moreover, he confirmed both boxers were born and competed as females, albeit with some hormonal imbalances. Per the IBA’s version, they did not undergo testosterone examination, and the testing pool results remain highly confidential.

However, internet cancel culture has jumped the gun. Chris Roberts, the IBA’s secretary general and CEO, claimed that the Olympic committees of Algeria and Taiwan mentioned letters of protest. Ioannis Filippatos, a Greek obstetrician and ex-chair, reiterated an uneven standard of profiling but contradicted previous statements of not undergoing testosterone tests. The IBA also stated that the Algerian and Taiwanese Olympic Committees have refused to allow the results to be made public. As such, there is still more to address.

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