PARIS: “Taiwan’s Lin Beats Uzbek Turdibekova Amid Gender Row”, Lin Yu-ting, Taiwan’s double world champion and a central figure in a heated gender controversy, advanced to the quarterfinals by securing a unanimous decision victory in her featherweight round of 16 bout against Uzbekistan’s Sidora Turdibekova at the Paris Olympics on Friday (Aug 2). Lin’s decisive win comes amid ongoing debates surrounding gender issues in the sport, highlighting her resilience and skill under pressure.
The 28-year-old Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, alongside Algerian Imane Khelif, who won her round of 16 welterweight fight in just 46 seconds against Italy’s Angela Carini, has been at the center of a gender controversy. Both athletes have attracted significant attention after being cleared to compete in the Olympics amidst ongoing debates surrounding gender issues in the sport.
Both had been disqualified at the 2023 World Championships for not meeting the International Boxing Association’s eligibility rules, which bar athletes with male XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events.
The boxing competition at the Paris Olympics is being overseen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the IBA lost its international recognition in 2023 due to governance and financial issues. The IOC has affirmed that the women have every right to compete in Paris.
The IOC said the IBA decision to disqualify the boxers last year was arbitrary and the main cause for the furore that has seen people like JK Rowling and Elon Musk voice their opposition to them competing in the Games.
Following Khelif’s quick win on Thursday that had drawn the ire of Italian Primer Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said it was not a fight among equals given the Algerian’s physical advantage, hundreds of media had gathered for Lin’s fight.
