Boxer Lin Yu Ting secures Olympic medal after gender row
Boxer Lin Yu Ting secures Olympic medal after gender row
Lin Yu-Ting is into the semi-finals of the women’s 57kg boxing at Paris 2024 after a unanimous decision win over Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva on Sunday morning.
The victory guarantees Lin at least a bronze medal in Paris as she prepares to take on Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman on Wednesday.
While there was initially a cold reception for Lin from the beaten Staneva, the Bulgarian did open the rope for her opponent to leave the ring, in a mark of respect.
However, she also made a cross sign with her fingers and shouted ‘no, no’ after the bout, clearly frustrated.
Lin and Algeria’s Imane Kherif are at the centre of controversy at the Olympics this year as they are banned from International Boxing Association competition after failing gender tests which revealed XY chromosomes in their DNA.
IOC President Thomas Bach defended the participation of the boxers, saying: ‘We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised as a woman, who have a passport as a woman and who have competed for many years as a woman.
‘This is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.’
Both Khelif and Lin competed at the Olympics in Tokyo three years ago but did not win a medal.
The Bulgarian Olympic Committee confirmed concerns over the participation of Khelif and Lin, contacting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the situation.
A statement read: ‘We are firmly determined to defend the rights not only of Bulgarian, but of all female athletes who will be potentially harmed by the participation of representatives of the opposite sex in women’s competitions.
‘In addition, we express our concern for the health of female competitors, as it has been scientifically proven that men’s blows are much stronger than women’s and can lead to severe injuries and permanent trauma.’
