Taiwan Threatens Legal Action After International Boxing Association Label Lin Yu-Ting As "Male"

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting and Algeria's Imane Khelif, both of whom are guaranteed a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, are at the centre of a major gender row.

Taiwanese sports officials threatened the International Boxing Association with legal action on Tuesday after the organisation claimed a Taiwanese fighter in the Paris Olympics women's competition was "a man". Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting and Algeria's Imane Khelif, both of whom are guaranteed a medal after reaching the semi-finals, are at the centre of a major gender row. The IBA disqualified them from its world championships in 2023, but boxing in Paris is run by the International Olympic Committee, which cleared them to compete.

The two organisations have been in open dispute and the IOC took over the sport at the Games because of financial, governance and ethical concerns at the IBA.

The Russian-led IBA attempted to clarify the situation surrounding Lin and Khelif but a chaotic press conference on Monday only muddied the waters further, with IBA officials making a series of contradictory statements.

Its president, Kremlin-linked oligarch Umar Kremlev, claimed that both fighters had "genetic testing that shows that these are men".