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Lin Yu-ting will fight for gold at the Olympics amid the controversy surrounding herself and fellow boxer Imane Khelif’s campaign at Paris 2024.
Khelif has advanced to the gold medal bout following her initial fight with Angela Carini, which saw the Italian quit just 46 seconds into her round-of-16 bout after one significant punch.
And now Lin, the Taiwanese boxer and two-time world champion, has also reached the gold medal fight after victory over Yildiz Kahraman, having also been disqualified from the women’s World Championships in New Delhi last year after failing to meet the gender eligibility criteria of the International Boxing Association (IBA).
The IOC has defended its decision to allow both boxers to compete at Paris 2024, having stripped the IBA of its recognition last year over governance and finance issues, before the Olympic body opted to run the boxing competition in Paris itself.
While the IBA did not specify why the boxers failed their gender eligibility tests, they have clarified that neither underwent testosterone examinations. Neither Lin, nor Khelif, identify as transgender or intersex.
Lin achieved gold in New Delhi in 2018, at bantamweight, before another gold medal in Istanbul four years later at featherweight.
She ultimately lost her bronze medal at the same competition in New Delhi last year, following defeat in the semi-finals to Kazakhstan's Karina Ibragimova, after she failed to meet the gender eligibility criteria. Bulgaria's Svetlana Staneva was then promoted to the bronze medal position alongside France's Amina Zidani.
The 28-year-old, who is coached by John Tseng Tzu-Chiang, boxes from a southpaw stance. She has a 40-14 record overall, with one victory coming by knockout. She made her debut in 2013 at the AIBA World Women's Youth Championships, winning gold in Albena, Bulgaria.
Her hero is the legendary Ukrainian boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko, the two-time Olympic champion and a three-weight world champion in the professional ranks.
Away from boxing, Lin enjoys exercising, watching television and singing, according to the official Olympics site. She was educated at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei, where she studied Sports Studies. Also known as 'Ting', she still represents Chinese Culture University.
She will make her second appearance at the Olympics on Friday, having lost on debut at Tokyo 2020 in the featherweight round of 16 against Nesthy Petecio of the Philippines.
Lin has beaten Sitora Turdibekova, Svetlana Staneva and Kahraman in the Women's 57kg category and now faces Julia Szeremeta for the gold medal at Paris 2024 on Saturday 10 August.
And Taiwan's presidential office and former president expressed support for Lin on Friday. "Let's cheer for Lin Yu-ting together," wrote Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's first female president, who ran the island between 2016 and 2024, on her official Facebook page, adding that Lin was seeking victory for herself and honour for Taiwan.
Pan Men-an, the Secretary-General for Taiwan's Presidential office, said on Facebook he supported Lin and that it was wrong for her to be "subjected to humiliation, insults and verbal bullying just because of your appearance and a controversial verdict in the past."
Tsai, the former president, also said on X that Lin was "fearless in the face of challenges, whether they come from inside or outside the ring."
What have the IOC and IBA said?
The IOC said the rules of eligibility were based on those of the Tokyo Games in 2021 and cannot be changed during a competition.
The IOC 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,” it added. “Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.”
But the IBA condemned “inconsistencies in eligibility” at the Paris Games, stating: “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,” the body added.
Khelif’s win over Carini sparked controversy, as the latter withdrew after the Algerian landed the first clean punch of the fight. Carini immediately turned to her team and opted against continuing, and the Italian soon collapsed to her knees in tears. Carini, 25, could be heard telling her coach, “It’s not right, it’s not right,” and she later told reporters that she had never been hit so hard in her career.
Khelif is next scheduled to fight on Saturday (3 August) at 4.22pm BST. Her opponent is not yet known, but a victory would guarantee the Algerian a bronze medal at 66kg and the chance to compete for silver or gold. Lin is scheduled to fight Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova at 2.30pm BST on Friday (2 August), in a round-of-16 bout at 57kg.
Carini, speaking after her fight with Khelif, said: “For me, it’s not a defeat. For me, when you climb those ropes, you’re already a warrior; you’re already a winner. Regardless of everything, it’s okay, fine like this. I didn’t lose tonight [...] I only did my job as a fighter. I got in the ring and I fought. I didn’t make it. I’m coming out with my head held high and with a broken heart.
“I’m a mature woman. The ring is my life. I’ve always been very instinctive, and when I feel that something isn’t right, it’s not giving up. It’s having the maturity to stop, it’s having the maturity to say: ‘OK, that’s enough.’”
“I got in the ring and I said: ‘I’m going to give it all I’ve got, regardless of the person in front of me, who doesn’t interest me at this moment.’ I had to give my best. So, with regard to all the controversies, I was never interested. I went in and I just wanted to win.” Speaking to the BBC, she added: “It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment.”
