Lin wins first boxing bout as gender controversy rages

Lin Yu-ting raised a hand at the bell after three rounds, the lights of the North Paris Arena bouncing off her shiny red glove as relief washed over her. An act of defiance amid all the noise with her Olympic dream still alive.

- JACK RATHBORN

The Taiwanese boxer has endured immense pressure and scrutiny as she bids for gold in the women’s featherweight division.

Her participation here at Paris 2024, alongside Algeria’s Imane Khelif, has attracted global attention after it emerged they were both disqualified at last year’s Women’s World Boxing Championships when the International Boxing Association (IBA) – amateur boxing’s former governing body – said they failed to meet gender eligibility criteria.

The IBA added that the fighters “did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential.

“This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) would later take control of Olympic boxing at Paris 2024, deciding not to recognise the IBA over numerous issues, though their perceived failure to address governance, financial and ethical issues proved especially key to the decision which has rocked amateur boxing and left it with an uncertain future. The IBA, in response, claims the decision is motivated by “political agendas”.

Yet the treatment of Khelif and Lin has summarised the tension between the two organisations, with the IOC vehemently against the IBA’s move to disqualify Khelif and Lin, claiming them to be “victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision,” while maintaining they were not afforded “due process”.