By Aadi Nair
PARIS (Reuters) – Lin Yu-ting, one of two boxers at the centre of a gender dispute at the Paris Olympics, said staying off social media and focusing on her sport had helped her cope with nearly two weeks of international headlines over her eligibility for the Games.
Lin, who beat Polish opponent Julia Szeremeta to claim the women’s featherweight gold on Saturday, and Algerian Imane Khelif were both caught up in a storm that has dominated headlines and been the subject of heated debate on social media platforms.
The two boxers were disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the 2023 World Championships, which said a sex chromosome test had ruled both of them ineligible.
They competed in Paris after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its status as the sport’s governing body in 2023 and took control of organising the boxing itself.
The IOC used boxing eligibility rules that were applied at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics and do not include gender testing.
“As an elite athlete during the competition, it’s important to shut myself off from social media and to focus. That is extremely important,” Lin told reporters after the win.
“Of course I heard some of the information through my coach, but I didn’t pay too much attention to it. I was invited by the IOC to participate at the Games, this is what I focused on.
“As for the other news, I relied on my coach to answer the questions. I just focused on who my competitor would be, I focused on training and being able to bring my A-game when I fought.”
On Saturday, Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi said the Algerian boxer had filed a formal legal complaint citing online harassment.
Asked if she would take similar measures, Lin said: “This is something I will discuss with my team. We will decide later what the next step will be.”
Lin, a two-time world champion, was overcome by emotion after the bout and moved to tears while standing on the podium.
“During the fight, I saw images flashing and I thought about the beginning of my career when I started boxing,” the 28-year-old said.
“All the difficult practice sessions, the times I got injured, the competitors I fought against.
“There were times of great pain, and times of great joy. I cried because I was so touched. I represented Taiwan, I got the gold medal. I want to thank all the people in Taiwan who supported me, from the beginning to the end.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Paris; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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