Boxer Lin Yu-ting adds Fuel to the Fire After Imane Khelif's Medal

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Carl Vaillancourt
August 4, 2024 (6:47 PM)

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After seeing Algerian boxer Imane Khelif secure a spot in the semifinals and a medal, another boxer with a medical condition, Lin Yu-Ting, has also secured a medal by qualifying for the semifinals on Sunday.

This means that both athletes at the center of the boxing controversy will secure a medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris. This situation is likely to fuel hateful discourse, as we have witnessed in recent days.

A major victory for boxer Lin Yu-Ting live from the Paris Olympics

Le Journal de Montréal shared the information on its X account a few minutes after the victory of the Taiwanese boxer participating in the under-57-kilogram tournament.

"Taiwanese Lin Yu-Ting, one of the two fighters at the heart of a gender controversy in the Olympic boxing tournament, secured a medal by qualifying for the semifinals on Sunday at the Olympics (-57kg) against Bulgarian Svetlana Kamenova Staneva."

- Journal de Montréal

This was not the first time the two athletes faced each other. In the quarterfinals of the 2023 IBA World Championships, Lin Yu-Ting defeated Svetlana Staneva. After the fight, the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified the Taiwanese boxer for a biochemical test showing irregularities outside the usual female curves.

This decision and the fight generated a lot of buzz at the time.

"Lin Yu-Ting had won the match but, following her disqualification by the International Boxing Federation (IBA) for failing a �biochemical' gender test, the result was annulled retroactively.

Svetlana Staneva was awarded a bronze medal in her place."

- Journal de Montréal

While very few scientific studies have been compiled on the subject, it is clear that the current controversy surrounding the two athletes with medical conditions, Lin Yu-Ting and Imane Khelif, will force amateur boxing authorities and the International Olympic Committee to fund studies on the issue to conclude whether the athletes' strength is influenced by their medical condition.

In any case, let the competent authorities decide on these issues. Experts will look into the matter, and scientific data will guide the decisions to be made.

For now, the decision made by the IOC will not change. This decision could be reconsidered during the Los Angeles Olympics, pending an impartial and credible study on the subject.

The competition continues in the coming hours.

Credit: Journal de Montréal
Une autre boxeuse controversée s'assure d'une médaille