Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting claimed Olympic gold in featherweight boxing in Paris on Saturday, defeating Poland’s Julia Szeremeta. The victory sparked controversy over Lin’s gender identity as he had previously been disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championship in New Delhi in 2023 for failing the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) gender eligibility tests. Despite this, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed both Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif to compete in the Paris Games after being disqualified from last year’s tournament due to similar reasons.
The controversy arose when the IBA stated that tests had proved these athletes had XY chromosomes, thus rendering them ineligible for women’s events. However, IOC spokesman Mark Adams claimed that all the athletes “comply with the eligibility rules,” casting doubt on the validity of the tests conducted by the IBA last year. Khelif went on to win Olympic gold, defeating China’s Yang Liu in the women’s welterweight finals earlier this month.
Both Lin and Khelif have become central figures in a heated debate over gender identity in sports, with some commentators arguing that it is unfair to allow individuals with male genetic characteristics to compete against female athletes. Supporters, however, argue that there is uncertainty regarding whether the tests found XY chromosomes or elevated testosterone levels in their blood samples.
In 2021, the IBA, under the leadership of Russian national Umar Kremlev, overturned a ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers, becoming one of the few global sports bodies to allow athletes from these countries to compete with their national flags and anthems despite international sanctions. However, in 2023, the IOC stripped the IBA of its recognition, alleging that it had failed to implement governance and finance reforms, ultimately taking control of boxing at the Paris Olympics.