Women’s boxing is facing a new controversy as previously disqualified Lin Yu-Ting defeated her opponent in a unanimous points decision.
Sitora Turdibekova, 22, went the full three rounds against Lin Yu-Ting of Taipei but lost on a unanimous decision.
She refused to shake hands with her controversial opponent in a move which was being as a protest against the Taipei’s involvement.
Despite the fury that followed the 46-second clash between Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Italy’s Angela Carini yesterday, Olympic chiefs refused to back down and allowed the 55kg category bout to go ahead.
The clash between two-time world champion Lin, 28, and Turdibekova has sparked controversy after Lin failed a gender eligibility test at last year’s World Championships.
Lin – who has come into the Olympics as top seed – lost her bronze medal after she failed to meet the Inerantional Boxing Association’s unspecified eligibility criteria.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif, 25, who yesterday won against Italy’s Angela Carini in a bout lasting just 46 seconds, was also disqualified hours before her gold medal match at the same competition.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) called the move into question, describing it as an ‘arbitrary’ decision that did not follow ‘due process’. They later admitted that gender rules are a ‘minefield’.
With a height advantage over her opponent, Lin quickly landed a neat right hand as she made a dominant start.
Bouncing around the ring above Turdibekova, she made a series of explosive punches against the Uzbekistan as she found her range and used her superior reach to rain punches from further away.
She dominated the first round, fighting hard as her opponent only scored one point.
Darting around the ring as she brutally persued her opponent, Lin struggled to make a conclusive punch but repeatedly showcased her strength as she landed thudding blows.
In the second round she already had an unassailable lead as she got all five scorecards in her favour.
Turdibekova put up a brave fight, landing shots and showing her effort as she tried to get inside the fighter’s reach.
But Lin was always in control – winning the bout by unanimous decision in three rounds.
All eyes are on the bout following yesterday’s dramatic fight that saw Carini quit in less than a minute with Khelif landing just one punch.
Abandoning the fight, Italian threw her helmet on the floor, collapsed to her knees in tears and told her coach: ‘It’s not right, it’s not right.’
Lin had won a bronze medal in the women’s featherweight competition at the World Championships before she was stripped of the prize last year.
She had won three fights before losing in the semi-finals to Kazakhstan’s Karina Ibragimova.
In an interview with Liberty in 2013, Yu-Ting, a two time world champion, was just 17-years-old when she made the shock revelation that she took up the sport to protect her mother from domestic violence.
Her coach Zeng Ziqiang said Yu-Ting learned boxing because she felt sorry for her mother who was repeatedly beaten by her father.
Following her success she was given a 40,000 Taiwanese dollar education scholarship and she then gave future prize money to her mother to support her family after her father walked out on them at their home in New Taipei City.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) – who have been stripped of recognition amid a series of governance issues – later stripped Lin of the medal, with the organisation stating the boxer had failed to meet eligibility requirements.
Khelif’s triumph yesterday was marred by controversy, with her Italian opponent withdrawing in tears after just 46 seconds and telling her corner: ‘It’s not fair.’
During the fight, Carini was hit twice, suffered a suspected broken nose and barely threw a punch before telling her corner: ‘It’s not fair.’
She then sank to her knees, beat the canvas in frustration and refused to shake Khelif’s hand.
After the one-sided 66kg category bout ended, Carini, also 25, said she quit the match to ‘save my life’.
The fight has attracted backlash with gold medal-winning Team GB boxer boxer Nicola Adams posting: ‘I stand wit Angela Carini’.
The trailblazer slammed the decision to let the fight go ahead as ‘unfair and dangerous’.
She said: ‘After years of fighting for women’s boxing to even exist in the Olympics and then all the training they go through to get there it was hard to watch another fighter be forced [to] give up on her Olympic dreams.
‘People not born as biological women, that have been through male puberty should not be able to complete [sic] in women’s sport. Not only is this unfair it’s dangerous!’
There is no evidence or claim that either athletes have been through male puberty. The pair were ruled ineligible after they ‘failed to meet eligibility rules, following a test conducted by an independent laboratory’.
Sex Matters director of campaigns Fiona McAnena said the International Olympic Committee, which oversees the Games, should be ‘ashamed’.
She said: ‘It’s grossly unfair that at the pinnacle of her sporting career, Italian boxer Angela Carini had to concede for her own safety.
‘The look of sheer pain and devastation in her face at that moment should be enough to end the absurd and dangerous spectacle of men in women’s sport once and for all.
‘People are rightly outraged, and the IOC should be ashamed, but they seem to be shameless as this is their policy in action.
‘Male advantage used against women makes nearly every sport unfair, and some sports unsafe, including boxing. This is still being played out in many sports worldwide.’
Bosses at the IOC are now facing a furious backlash following the fight, with former Prime Minister Liz Truss blasting the clash.
The presence at the Paris Olympics of two boxers who were disqualified from last year’s world championships has revived the discussion over whether athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) should compete in women’s competition. There is no evidence that either boxers have any of these conditions.
WHAT IS A DSD?
Differences of Sexual Development are a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs. Some people with DSDs are raised as female but have XY sex chromosomes, blood testosterone levels in the male range and the ability to use testosterone circulating within their bodies.
WHY IS THAT AN ISSUE IN SPORT?
Women’s sports categories exist in most sports in recognition of the clear advantage that going through male puberty gives an athlete.
That advantage is not just through higher testosterone levels but also in muscle mass, skeletal advantage and faster twitch muscle.
In combat sports such as boxing, this can be a serious safety issue.
WHAT IS THE ISSUE AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS?
Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting at last year’s world championships in New Delhi fell foul of International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules that prevent athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events.
Algeria’s Khelif was disqualified hours before her gold-medal bout in New Delhi, while Taiwan’s double world champion Lin lost her bronze medal after she too failed to meet the criteria.
WHY ARE THEY ALLOWED TO COMPETE AT THE OLYMPICS?
The IBA was stripped of its status as the global governing body for boxing by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in June last year because of its failure to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues.
The IOC is therefore running the boxing competition at the Paris Games, as it did at the Tokyo Olympics, and its rules on the inclusion of athletes with DSDs and gender diversity in the women’s competition apply.
The latest IOC guidelines issued in 2021 state that inclusion should be the default in such cases and that athletes should only be excluded from women’s competition if there are clear fairness or safety issues.
‘Federations need to make the rules to make sure that there is fairness but at the same time with the ability for everyone to take part who wants to. That’s a difficult balance,’ IOC spokesman Mark Adams said on Tuesday.
‘In the end it’s up to the experts for each discipline. They know very well where there is an advantage, and if that is a big advantage then that is clearly not acceptable. But that decision needs to be made at that level.’
ARE THERE ANY SIMILAR CASES AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS?
Zambia women’s soccer captain Barbra Banda was ruled out of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations after failing the Confederation of African Football (CAF) gender eligibility tests.
The 24-year-old did captain her country at last year’s Women’s World Cup and on Sunday scored a hat-trick in the first half of their 6-5 loss to at the Paris Olympics.
FIFA, which organises the Olympic football competition, still uses rules first published in 2011. They state that only men are eligible to play in men’s competitions, and the same for women. FIFA is reviewing its policy but there is no timeline for completion.
WHAT HAPPENS IN OTHER SPORTS?
South Africa’s double Olympic 800-metres track champion Caster Semenya has unwittingly been at the centre of this issue for more than a decade.
Over the past couple of years, the governing bodies of athletics, cycling, swimming and rugby union have been tightening their regulations to exclude those with the advantage of going through male puberty from some or all women’s competition.
Semenya has not been allowed to compete in any distance between 400m and the mile since 2018 unless she maintains lower testosterone levels, which requires medication.
She appeared at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in May to continue her challenge against World Athletics. The case is still being considered.
WHAT DOES THE IOC SAY ABOUT THE BOXERS?
The IOC has defended its decision to allow the two boxers to compete.
‘I would just say that everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules,’ IOC spokesman Adams said on Tuesday. ‘They are women in their passports and it is stated that is the case.’
WHAT DO THE OTHER BOXERS SAY?
‘If you’re talking about fighting an actual man, then no, I’m not cool with fighting a man. But in their case, I can’t say specifically on them because I don’t know their scenario or situation,’ n boxer Tiana Echegaray said on Wednesday.
‘Biologically, genetically, they’re going to have more advantages, and in combat sports, it can be dangerous,’ said n boxer Caitlin Parker.
‘I think she is a very strong female boxer. She has a good chance of winning. I have confidence in her. She is very confident,’ said Lin’s Taiwan teammate Chia Wei Kan.
Writing on Twitter, the ex-Tory MP said: ‘When will this madness stop? Men cannot become women. Why is the British Government not objecting to this?’
British Olympics swimming hero Sharron Davies also waded into the controversy, raging: ‘This is shocking. The IOC are a bloody disgrace. In effect legalising beating up females. This must stop!!! What the hell’s the matter with them?’
While Harry Potter author JK Rowling branded the contest ‘insanity’. In a post yesterday, the gender-critical author wrote: ‘What will it take to end this insanity? A female boxer left with life-altering injuries? A female boxer killed?’
Posting a video of the fight, the author added: ‘Watch this (whole thread), then explain why you’re OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment. This isn’t sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over women.’
And speaking to , sports scientist Professor Ross Tucker said: ‘Would you allow a 90kg fighter to fight against a 60kg fighter?
‘Because that’s more or less what the difference is in strength and power between male and female boxers.’
Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, endorsed efforts to get a campaign in support of Carini trending.
American swimmer Riley Gaines, who has campaigned for women’s rights in her sport, wrote on the platform: ‘Men don’t belong in women’s sports. #IStandWithAngelaCarini Let’s get it trending.’
Musk quoted Gaines’ post and replied: ‘Absolutely.’
But the IBA was stripped of its recognition by the IOC last year over governance and finance issues, with the Olympic body running the boxing competition in Paris.
The IOC said in a statement yesterday: ‘These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.
‘Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.
‘According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.’
Some sports have limited the levels of testosterone allowed for athletes competing in women’s competition, while others ban everyone who has been through male puberty.
Differences of Sexual Disorder are a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs.
Some people with DSDs are raised as female but have XY sex chromosomes and blood testosterone levels in the male range.
The IOC said the rules of eligibility were based on those of the Tokyo Games in 2021 and could not be changed during a competition.
The governing body added: ‘The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving. Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.’
But in its own statement, the IBA condemned ‘inconsistencies in eligibility’ at the Paris Games, adding: ‘Both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting post testing, did not meet the required eligibility criteria to compete within the female category of our respective events.
‘The urgent nature of the decision (to disqualify the boxers) was justified, as the safety of our boxers is our top priority.’
In a newly-unearthed interview filmed ahead of the Games, Khelif opened up about bouncing back from her ban over elevated testosterone levels and declared: ‘I wanted to show the whole world what a brave woman Imane Khelif is.’
Khelif’s participation in the event has been a source of controversy after she was disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships last year.
The Olympics website noted that Khelif had been disqualified hours before a gold medal bout against China’s Yang Liu in New Delhi after her elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria.
The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) hit back by claiming the disqualification was part of a ‘conspiracy’ to stop them from winning a gold medal and said ‘medical reasons’ were behind high testosterone levels.
Speaking out following her loss, Carini revealed she quit to ‘safeguard my life’, adding: ‘I couldn’t carry on. I have a big pain in my nose and I said, ‘Stop’. It’s better to avoid keeping going. My nose started dripping from the first hit.
‘It could be the match of my life but, in that moment, I had to safeguard my life, too. I felt to do this, I didn’t have any fear, I don’t have any fear of the ring or to get hit.
‘I fought very often in the national team. I train with my brother. I’ve always fought against men, but I felt too much pain today.’
After the match was stopped, the referee raised Khelif’s hand in the air. But a visibly furious Carini yanked her own hand away from the fight official and walked off.
During the rapid fight, Carini was rocked by two punches from Khelif and said the savage force of the blows made it ‘impossible to continue’.
Ignoring the Algerian after calling a halt to the bout, the Italian fighter then plunged to her knees and burst into tears – later saying she said she had never felt such strong blows in a contest before.
Speaking after the match, the heartbroken Italian said: ‘I’m used to suffering. I’ve never taken a punch like that, it’s impossible to continue. I’m nobody to say it’s illegal.
‘I got into the ring to fight. But I didn’t feel like it anymore after the first minute. I started to feel a strong pain in my nose. I didn’t give up, but a punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.’
She said she did not walk away from the fight as a protest against her opponent’s inclusion, but that was a decision for the Olympics to consider.
Asked why she knelt at the end of the match, she said it was for her late father, who died in 2021, before adding: ‘I am sorry not to have taken Italy on to the podium.’
She was taken away for medical assessment to examine the seriousness of her facial injuries which included a bruised nose.
Speaking earlier this week, International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said: ‘Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules.’
He added: ‘They are women in their passports and it’s stated that this is the case, that they are female.’
Prior to 2021, the IOC set thresholds for the maximum amount of testosterone — the ‘male’ sex hormone — competitors in women’s events could have. These were picked up in blood tests, similar to ones for doping.
Rules on testosterone limits had been previosuly brought into sharp focus by the very public and famous case of Caster Semenya.
Semenya has a condition which means her body naturally produces higher levels of testosterone than normal for women.
She became unable to compete at Tokyo in 2020 after World Athletics brought in new rules independently of the IOC at the time.
IOC’s own testosterone monitoring policies were halted three years ago and replaced with a policy of ‘fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination on the basis of gender identify and sex variation’.
The IOC now provides individual sporting bodies in every country with ‘ten guiding principles’ they can use to make their own policies.
This controversial document states that athletes with ‘sex variations’, another term for DSDs, have ‘no presumption of advantage’ and that they should be allowed to compete in the category of their gender identity.
There are exceptions, with framework stating that an ‘evidence-based approach’ can be used to exclude athletes who have a ‘consistent unfair disproportionate advantage’ or if there is an ‘unpreventable risk’ to the safety of other athletes.
Federations that govern rugby, track and field, swimming and cycling have all introduced rules in some form to address biological males in women’s sport, though the exact details of policies vary.
And boxing did as well, with the International Boxing Association (IAB) requiring athletes to undergo ‘gender assessment’.
Though it doesn’t detail the exact nature of these assessments, it is this test that Khelif and Lin failed last year at the IAB’s Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.
The IOC created a new body, the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU), to determine eligibility for competitors.
Documents from the PBU make no mention of gender or sex testing for male or female events, though they do set limits for the age of competitors, a passport being an acceptable ID for athletes and requiring boxers in the women’s category to declare if they are pregnant.
Defending its decision to approve Khelif and Lin as women the IOC’s Mr Adams added: ‘These athletes have competed many times before for many years. They haven’t just suddenly arrived.’
But sports scientist Professor Tucker, said the absence of clear policy by the IOC in this area had allowed this situation to occur.
‘Last year [Khelif and Lin] did not meet eligibility requirements and the only reason they do now is the body that did rule them ineligible has been moved aside,’ he said.
‘It’s due to a vacuum of policy, there’s no policy now.’