Another Olympic boxer has come under fire for competing in the women’s division despite previously failing gender identity testing. This comes after Algerian fighter Imane Khelif, who also previously failed gender eligibility testing, won a bout against Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds, sparking backlash.
Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan advanced to the Paris Olympics quarterfinals in the featherweight division after winning against Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova, according to the New York Post. Lin won via a unanimous decision, with the fight lasting all three scheduled rounds.
The International Olympic Committee confirmed that Lin’s passport and medical background indicate that the athlete was born female. New Taipei City Councilor Cho Kuan-ting reportedly posted that Lin had been registered as a female at birth.
Lin has been competing in female boxing matches since middle school, and began competing at the amateur level in 2017. The athlete competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but lost to the Philippines’ Nesthy Petecio in the Round of 16.
Both Lin and Khelif were disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association after officials announced that they had failed their gender eligibility tests. the Russian-led IBA stated at the time that the athletes had "pretended to be women" and had "XY chromosomes."
The IOC withdrew recognition of the IBA in 2023, and installed the Paris Boxing Unit to oversee the sport for the 2024 Olympic Games. In a joint statement posted on Thursday, the IOC and Paris 2024 Boxing Unit said that "Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination," adding that all athletes "participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit. As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport."
They said that Lin and Khelif "have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments."
"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process."
