Government Official Provides Proof Of Olympic Boxer Lin Yu Ting’s Gender Amid Controversy
One of the most controversial issues at the 2024 Paris Olympics involves two female boxers, Taiwan’s Lin Yu Ting and Algeria’s Imane Khelif. After the latter’s quick defeat of an opponent, many have accused both athletes of being men.
Asian Female Olympic Boxer Accused Of Being A Man, Targeted By J.K. Rowling
These accusations stem from Khelif and Lin being disqualified from the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships New Delhi 2023 after tests found them to have an “advantage” over other competitors.
Point to note, the athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized 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.
— IBA in a statement on July 31, 2024
The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has negated these allegations and called out the IBA’s corruption.
Joint Paris 2024 Boxing Unit/IOC Statementhttps://t.co/22yVzxFuLd pic.twitter.com/fZvgsW8OOi
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) August 1, 2024
Many have come out in support of both boxers, specifically with many supporters of Lin coming out to negate the allegations.
Taiwan’s (Chinese Taipei’s) Lin Yu‑Ting is a real born female, she IS NOT TRANS
You’re a world known writer, do some homework before you talk
I appreciate how vocal you are for female rights, but now you’re basically bullying a woman that doesn’t look like traditional females https://t.co/ZBlYbOUzsr
— Yani🎈 (@ohhmissYan) July 31, 2024
Even though Lin Yu-ting has proof that she was born female, who cares? Just because she doesn't look like a man's idea of a woman, she's suspected of being a man. It's no wonder that women don't have true freedom and equality when they are so limited by their appearance. https://t.co/HDjngOA5ux
— クルミ🦑輸贏靠運氣 (@moon_kurumi) July 31, 2024
Taiwan's female boxing representative started boxing as a young kid to protect her mother from domestic violence (this is a clip on Youtube from a decade ago), she's always chosen a less feminine appearance. We know you care for your own contestants' safety but no slandering, plz https://t.co/g0NmoDbuHl pic.twitter.com/z3pY1PbTHm
— Sharon/Trilingual 🇹🇼 🇯🇵 🇺🇲 (@nthusharon) August 1, 2024
Among the various “proof” provided by netizens that includes videos from early on in her boxing career, including a 2013 news article that discusses her win at the IBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships and discussing how she began boxing to defend her mother from domestic abuse…
…a government official has come out to share proof of her gender.
New Taipei City Councilor Cho Kuan Ting shared a lengthy Facebook post discussing the situation, and shared that Lin’s national identification number begins with a 2. Men’s identification numbers begin with a 1, and this is not something that can be changed.
The entirety of Taiwan has shown support for Lin, including by target Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who has been responsible for sharing misleading and incorrect information online.
Lin Yu Ting’s next fight is scheduled to take place on August 4.
