OIympic boxer leaves ring in tears after losing to second fighter who failed previous gender eligibility test
The fight was won by unanimous decision.
Alex Brotherton
An Olympic boxer left the ring in tears after losing to a second fighter who previously failed a gender eligibility test.
On Friday Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting beat Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova by unanimous decision in the women's division 57kg category.
Lin's inclusion in the Paris Olympics sparked controversy after she was disqualified from the Women's Boxing World Championships last year and stripped of her bronze medal due to failing an eligibility test.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif - whose opponent Angela Carini abandoned their Olympic bout after just 46 seconds on Thursday - was also disqualified from the World Championships on the same grounds but cleared to compete at the Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Advert
Carini has since said she wants to apologise to the Algerian boxer for the way she behaved.
While Lin and Khelif did not undergo testosterone examinations, the International Boxing Association (IBA) said that both were "subject to a separate and recognised test" which were held at their World Championships in 2022 and 2023.
The IBA claimed that the tests "conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria," with both boxers "found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors."
The IBA was stripped of recognition by the IOC, with the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU) set up to oversee boxing at the Olympics.
The PBU rules on eligibility are not as strict as those enforced by the IBA, and both boxers were cleared to compete in Paris.
On Friday, Lin entered the arena to a mix of cheers and boos, before easing to victory against Turdibekova.
The two boxers shook hands after the fight, before Turdibekova broke down in tears when the judges announced the result.
The Uzbekistani athlete and her team swiftly left the venue without stopping to speak to media.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams had warned against a 'witch hunt' against Khelif and Turdibekova and criticised misreporting of the incidents as transgender issues.
The two incidents have resulted in a rampant transphobia on social media, despite the fact that both boxers were born women.