Olympic boxing champion Lin Yu-Ting has canceled her participation in the World Boxing Championships. Imane Khelif will also not be competing in Liverpool, but had filed a lawsuit in court.
As the Taiwanese association told the AFP news agency, Olympic champion Lin will not be taking part in the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool. The title fights will take place from September 4 to 14, organized for the first time by World Boxing. The IOC-recognized world federation had demanded mandatory gender tests from the boxers for participation in the World Championships.
Tested a few days ago
The “Stuttgarter Zeitung” reports that it only became known a few days ago that Lin Yu-Ting will undergo this required test – in contrast to Imane Khelif. A fierce debate arose around the two gold medal winners at the Olympic Games in Paris. This was due to doubts about the gender of Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, as both dominated and won their weight classes at the Olympics.
Although the Taiwanese association has sent the results of the gender test to World Boxing, it has not yet received a response. Therefore, the 29-year-old featherweight could not be allowed to “travel to Great Britain without any guarantee”. No further reasons were given.
In contrast, Imane Khelif, who won welterweight gold in Paris, chose to take her case to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The 26-year-old Algerian had challenged the introduction of gender tests by World Boxing before the CAS, but was unsuccessful with her appeal. The arbitration tribunal based in Lausanne had already rejected an application she had submitted on August 5 to suspend the required gender test until the case had been heard.
Exclusion from the 2023 World Cup
Lin and Khelif were excluded from the 2023 World Championships by the now suspended International Boxing Association (IBA). The reasons given were failed testosterone tests. However, the two boxers were allowed to compete in Paris because the gender in their passports was the only decisive factor for the IOC.
Text: Frank Schwantes