Lin Yu-ting, the second female boxer who has previously failed gender eligibility tests , has progressed through her first-round bout at the Paris Olympics.
Chinese Taipei's Yu-ting won the bronze medal at last year's International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships, but subsequently had that stripped following the results of the unspecified test. She took on Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova on Friday and won via unanimous decision.
Imane Khelif was the other boxer to fail the same test , but both were allowed to compete in the Olympics . That was due to the IBA being stripped of it's recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), due to governance and finance issues.
READ MORE: Olympic boxer in tears after quitting fight in seconds against 'biologically male' opponent
READ MORE: Chinese Olympic champion accused of cheating over 'not humanly possible' record
That meant the Olympic body itself has governed the boxing competition, with Khelif and Yu-ting both allowed to compete due to the existing regulations. Controversy flared up on Thursday after Khelif earned a dominant victory over Angela Carini after just 46 seconds of the first-round of their 66kg encounter.
Carini was heard telling her coach: "It’s not right, it’s not right" - before falling to her knees when the Khelif's hand was raised. She subsequently told reporters that she had never been punched so hard and had a suspected broken nose.
There was significantly less drama in Yu-ting's fight on Friday as she cruised to a unanimous points victory, largely sticking behind her jab to win on the scorecards of all the ringside judges.
The presence of both fighters has sparked huge controversy, with the IBA criticising the IOC for allowing them to enter. "Both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, post testing, did not meet the required eligibility criteria to compete within the female category of our respective events," said an IBA statement. "The urgent nature of the decision (to disqualify the boxers) was justified, as the safety of our boxers is our top priority."
The IOC then delivered a similarly strongly worded statement in response: "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 with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport.
"Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process. According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO."
They added: "The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving. Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination."
Most Popular
Comments / 0