By Paris, France – Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei captured featherweight gold on Saturday, defeating Poland’s Julia Szeremeta and dispelling more than a week of speculation and controversy surrounding her participation in the women’s division.
The match, held at Roland-Garros stadium, ended with a unanimous decision in favor of Lin, with all five judges scoring the bout 10-9 in all three rounds.
The 5-foot-9 Lin faced off against the 5-foot-5 Szeremeta, with the physical disparity evident in the ring. Lin consistently landed powerful punches, rarely facing any significant threat from her opponent.
Lin, along with Algerian welterweight gold medalist Imane Khelif, has been at the center of a heated debate, with both athletes facing scrutiny from competitors who have questioned their gender since their participation in Olympic-level competition began.
Both Khelif and Lin have competed in women’s events for years, including at the Tokyo Olympics, and there has been no indication that either identifies as transgender or intersex.
The latter term refers to individuals born with sex characteristics that do not fit the typical definitions of male or female.
The controversy surrounding their gender was amplified by a decision from the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), which attempted to disqualify Lin and Khelif from last year’s Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.
The IBA based their decision on gender eligibility tests that they claimed raised doubts about the athletes’ compliance with traditional gender categories. The two athletes were subsequently removed from competition at the time.
The IBA has stated that these tests, conducted in 2022 and 2023, suggested that the boxers’ gender might not align with their chromosomal makeup.
However, the specifics of the testing have not been made public. At a news conference on Sunday, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams dismissed the IBA’s gender eligibility tests as “flawed” and “not legitimate.”
Despite the surrounding controversy, Lin’s victory solidifies her status as a top contender in women’s boxing, though the debate over gender eligibility in sports continues to intensify.
nbcnews.com
