Olympics boxing: Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan clinches a medal amid outcry over gender misconceptions

VILLEPINTE, France (AP) — Boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan clinched her first Olympic medal Sunday in entrance of a crowd that chanted her title, in the future after fellow boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria secured one as properly following days of on-line abuse and intense scrutiny about their participation on the Paris Video games.

Lin defeated Svetlana Kamenova Staneva of Bulgaria 5:0 in a ladies’s 57-kilogram quarterfinal, advancing to the semifinals and making certain she is going to win not less than a bronze medal.

Lin and Khelif have been on the middle of a conflict over gender identification and laws in sports activities, as critics have introduced up their disqualification from the world championships final yr after the banned Worldwide Boxing Affiliation claimed they failed unspecified eligibility assessments for girls’s competitors.

Lin, who will face Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey at Roland-Garros on Wednesday, stated her purpose is to maintain going and turn out to be a gold medalist. She didn’t point out any of the on-line scrutiny of the previous few days and stated that she shut down her social media earlier than her first Olympic struggle.

“I wish to thank all of the supporters from Taiwan,” she stated.

Staneva appeared to stroll previous Lin instantly after the struggle, however after the referee introduced the choice and lifted Lin’s hand because the winner, Staneva went over and sat on the rope on her opponent’s aspect and opened the rope for Lin to step out.

Staneva, a 34-year-old beginner boxing veteran, misplaced a detailed struggle to Lin within the semifinals of the 2023 world championships in India. The victory was modified to a no contest by the IBA, which claimed Lin had failed the unspecified eligibility check.

The IBA has been banned from Olympic participation since 2019 following years of criticism from the Worldwide Olympic Committee, together with considerations over its administration of competitions and monetary transparency. The IBA has declined to reveal any particulars about its assessments, calling the data confidential.

The IOC has condemned what it referred to as “hate speech” towards the boxers, and spokesman Mark Adams once more defended them Sunday, strongly criticizing the IBA testing course of that singled them out as a result of “there have been suspicions towards them.”

“The entire course of is flawed,” Adams stated. “From the conception of the check, to how the check was shared with us, to how the assessments have turn out to be public, is so flawed that it’s unimaginable to have interaction with it.”

Each Lin and Khelif have drawn help from their nations amid the outcry, which has included feedback from former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” author J.Ok. Rowling and others making false claims about them being males or transgender.

Khelif was showered with cheers all through her emotional win over Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary on Saturday evening. Many supporters at North Paris Area had been wrapped in Algerian flags and screaming her title. She wiped away tears when it was over and wept as she exited the world.

Lin bowed to the gang earlier than and after Sunday’s bout, wanting up at cheering supporters earlier than embracing her coaches and exiting the ring.

She additionally bought help from former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on social media Friday when Lin beat Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan 5:0 in her first struggle.

“After I met boxer Lin Yu-ting, I noticed an athlete who’s fearless within the face of challenges, whether or not they come from inside or outdoors the ring,” Tsai wrote. “In the present day, when she represents Taiwan on the Olympic stage, we shall be behind her & all of the Taiwanese Olympians making us proud.”

Lin is competing in her second Olympics however didn’t win a medal in Tokyo in 2021. She’s a two-time world champion with the IBA (2018 and 2022). She’s competed in elite-level beginner boxing for a decade. Neither Lin nor Khelif, who’s 25 and a six-year veteran, had been sanctioned earlier than final yr’s world championships.

“There’s an entire vary of the explanation why we received’t take care of this,” Adams of IOC stated of the testing. “Partly confidentiality. Partly medical points. Partly that there was no foundation for the check within the first place. And partly data-sharing of that is additionally extremely towards the principles, worldwide guidelines.”

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games