Gender row boxer Lin Yu-ting suggests IBA were 'deliberately going after me' with 'false' gender test
8 August 2024, 15:59 | Updated: 8 August 2024, 16:06
Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting questioned whether the International Boxing Association (IBA) were “deliberately going after" her with a “false” gender test.
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Lin reached the semi-finals at last year's World Championship and secured a bronze medal but was disqualified by the IBA who said she had "failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women's competition”.
The boxer has now reached the final of the Paris 2024 Olympics in the featherweight division but her route to the gold-medal bout has been marred by the controversy over her eligibility.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was also disqualified from the 2023 World Championship for failing a gender eligibility test and her campaign to the Olympic final in the welterweight division has too been surrounded in debate around her participation.
In an interview ahead of the Olympics that has been recently released, Lin said: “Of course it annoys you when reading some remarks, but all we can do is tell ourselves we can't control what they say. Let them talk the talk, but I have a clear conscience on this.”
Discussing her World Championship disqualification, the boxer said: “After all, we have proven it false (the IBA's test), and the process didn't follow any standards, but there was still a fuss.
“I wonder if they were deliberately going after me. I was confused. It was kind of ridiculous.
“What I cared about most was I was stripped of a medal despite working hard and a source of income was gone.
“As for what others or the haters said, I don't really care.”
On Monday, the IBA's Russian chief Umar Kremlev held a remarkable press conference in which he labelled Lin and Imane Khelif “men”.
The IBA claimed Lin had male XY chromosomes and that two blood tests indicated she was a man.
Lin and Khelif have been allowed to compete at the Olympics given the event is run by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rather than the IBA.
The IOC has strongly backed the two boxers, with president Thomas Bach saying there was "never any doubt" they are women.
The organisation said competitors were eligible for the women's division if their passports said they were female.
The IOC suspended the IBA in 2019 because of concerns over its finances, governance, ethics, refereeing and judging.
Meanwhile, Kremlev said: “We don't verify what they have between their legs. We don't know if they were born like that, or if some changes were made.
“The second tests confirmed the first tests. If people have doubts, refer to them. They can make their own tests.”
Lin progressed through her semi-final after a unanimous decision victory over Esra Yildiz Kahraman.
As she left the ring, the 27-year-old from Turkey made the same 'X' sign with two fingers as Lin's previous opponent, Svetlana Staneva.
Staneva's 'X' was reportedly said to have symbolised female XX chromosomes.
One of Kahraman's team said "no comment" when asked by the media about the meaning of the gesture.
Lin explained in the interview before the Games that was recently released: “I would say it's probably because of my appearance. It draws a lot of attention.
“Sometimes when I go to the restroom, I get asked: ‘Is that the right one?’ Then I would tell them I'm a woman.
“It's probably also because of my height and hairstyle. I would say I've always just been who I am.
She added: “As for the media, they like to package it this way. I can't control it this way. After all, we live in such a free and democratic society. Everyone has freedom of speech.
“You can say what you want to say, but I can also decide what I want to do. I don't have to cater to your stereotypes.”
