Taiwanese government officials, including its first female president and former president, Tsai Ing-wen, came to the defence of Olympic boxer Lin Yu-ting on Tuesday after an international controversy erupted over allegations that she was ineligible to compete in women’s boxing matches.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) reiterated on Wednesday that Lin and Algeria’s Imane Khelif have been banned from women’s boxing competitions in 2023 because they “do not meet the eligibility requirements for participation in the women’s competition.” In announcing the ban, IBA president Oumar Kremlyov said: Said The Russian news agency TASS reported that the two fighters “have XY chromosomes.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed both Khelif and Lin to compete in the women’s boxing event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris because their passports list them as “female.” The IOC has not said how it used Lin’s passport to verify her eligibility. not recognize Taiwan is a sovereign nation. The IOC also accused those questioning the boxers’ gender of discriminating and violating the athletes’ “human rights.”
Both players fought Kherif will be competing at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics without any controversy. On Thursday, after Kherif beat Italy’s Angela Carini in 46 seconds in the women’s boxing match, spectators across the country erupted in anger and concern for the other athletes. Carini claimed after the match that she had “never taken a punch like that” and felt unsafe in the ring with Kherif.
Lin is scheduled to face Uzbekistan’s Shitra Turdybekova on Friday. Ignored There are concerns that allowing male athletes to compete against women poses danger to the competitors.
Taiwan’s leaders have rejected pressure to block Lin from competing in the women’s tournament, and former President Tsai was among the most vocal in her support for Lin on Friday, sharing a photo of herself with the player and praising “an athlete who is not afraid of challenges, both in and out of the ring.”
“We support her and all of Taiwan’s Olympians who make us proud,” Tsai wrote.
When I met boxer Lin Yuting, I saw an athlete who is fearless in and out of the ring and who is ready to take on any challenge.
Today, she represents #Taiwan On the Olympic stage, we will be rooting for her and all Taiwan’s Olympians with pride. pic.twitter.com/UfSqIqgSxC— Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) August 2, 2024
Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) remains in power after Vice President Lai Ching-te won January’s presidential election. Lai’s government has supported Lam. James Cheng, Lai’s sports administration director, has accused critics of “discriminating” against Lam.
“These discriminatory remarks may have been strategically published in the news media to divert attention from Ms. Lin,” Cheng said Wednesday. Taipei Times“We understand that players have the right to express their opinions, but they may do so without fully understanding the details of the situation.”
“I hope that people will continue to support and cheer for our athletes while they are competing in Paris,” Chen said.
Chen also claimed that Lin “had undergone doping and other tests like all other athletes and was found to be OK.” The IOC’s statement on the status of the boxing tournament did not mention gender determination tests, but To clarify “The gender and age of the players are based on their passports,” it said on Thursday.
Zhao Kuan-ting, a councillor in New Taipei City where Lin lives, also said on Thursday that Lin was “registered as a woman on her birth certificate” and called the player “the pride of Taiwan”.
A live broadcast from a sports bar in Taipei shows Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting (centre) fighting against Uzbekistan’s Shitra Turdybekova in the women’s 57kg boxing qualifying round of 16 at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 2, 2024. (SAM YEH/AFP via Getty)
“It’s taken her years of hard work to get to where she is today and we should all applaud and cheer her on for her passion and explosive performance in the boxing ring,” Cho said. “The Olympics should be a place for top athletes to compete, not bully each other. Let’s cherish and cheer on Lin.”
Cho also claimed that “last year’s test results were not even about chromosomes,” which contradicts a statement the IBA president made to TASS in March 2023.
Pan Wen-an, Secretary-General of the Taiwan Presidential Office, Published They posted a statement on social media in support of Lin, denounced safety concerns about her participation as “humiliation, insults and verbal bullying solely based on her appearance and past controversial rulings.”
Taiwan is only allowed to compete in the Olympics under the name “Chinese Taipei” to appease Communist China’s false claims that Taiwan is a province of China and that its government is a rogue separatist organisation rather than a functioning, independent and sovereign nation. Apart from Lin’s participation, Taiwan has already seen great success in women’s boxing, with lightweight fighter Wu Shi Yi competing in the Olympics. Secured He’ll be guaranteed at least a bronze medal on Thursday and will be one of the final four athletes competing for gold on Thursday.
