KUALA LUMPUR – Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, embroiled in a recent gender controversy at the Paris Olympics, has guaranteed herself at least a bronze medal after a convincing quarter-final victory on Sunday.
The 28-year-old defeated Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva on a unanimous points decision to advance to the semi-finals of the women’s 57kg category.
Yu-ting, along with Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, is at the centre of a global debate over their eligibility.
Khelif also secured at least a bronze after winning her quarter-final on Saturday in the women’s 66kg division.
Both of them were disqualified from last year’s world championships after the International Boxing Association (IBA) stated they failed the eligibility rules, which prohibit athletes with male XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has criticised the IBA’s handling of the situation, describing the disqualifications as lacking due process.
The IBA was stripped of its status as the sport’s governing body by the IOC last June.
Despite this, the IBA’s chief executive defended the testing procedures, citing concerns raised by the medical committee.
Yu-ting and Khelif also participated in the Tokyo Games in 2021 but did not win medals.
The controversy flared on Thursday when 25-year-old Khelif won her opening bout in just 46 seconds after her Italian opponent Angela Carini withdrew from their bout to “preserve” her life after taking a punch to the face.
The boxing in Paris is organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which took over because of governance, financial and ethical issues at the IBA.
The IOC has leapt to the defence of Khelif and Lin, with president Thomas Bach on Saturday saying they were born and raised as women, and have passports saying that. – August 4, 2024