TAIWANESE Olympic boxing champion Lin Yu-ting will not participate in the upcoming world championships in Liverpool.
Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif became central figures in a major gender controversy during the 2024 Paris Olympics where both won gold medals in their respective weight classes.
World Boxing introduced a new policy requiring mandatory gender testing for all female competitors at the championships scheduled for September fourth to fourteenth.
The twenty nine year old Lin had previously agreed to undergo the required testing according to her coach Tseng Tzu-chiang.
Taiwan’s boxing association submitted Lin’s test results to World Boxing but received no response according to reports.
The association stated they could not allow the athlete to travel to the United Kingdom without any guarantee of participation.
They confirmed Lin’s absence from the Liverpool event without providing specific reasons for the decision.
Lin’s coach did not respond to multiple attempts for comment regarding the situation.
World Boxing’s policy mandates PCR genetic testing for all fighters over eighteen participating in their sanctioned competitions.
Both Lin and Khelif were previously excluded from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships after failing eligibility tests.
The International Olympic Committee permitted their participation in Paris calling the IBA’s decision sudden and arbitrary.
Khelif has challenged World Boxing’s gender testing policy through the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Neither boxer is currently scheduled to compete in the Liverpool championships.
Both athletes faced significant social media attacks and misinformation regarding their biological sex during the Paris Games.
The IOC defended both athletes confirming they were born and raised as women with official passports attesting to their gender. – AFP
