Lin Yu-ting (Chinese: 林郁婷; pinyin: Lín Yùtíng; born 13 December 1995) is a Taiwanese boxer.[2] Lin has won two gold medals at the IBA World Boxing Championships, in addition to two gold medals at the Asian Games and one at the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships. She appeared for Chinese Taipei at the 2024 Summer Olympics, and on August 4, 2024, Lin defeated Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria, assuring that she would clinch at least a bronze medal in women’s 57-kilogram competition.[3]
Background
As a child, Lin and her older brother watched the anime Hajime no Ippo, which inspired her to consider boxing.[4] Lin also learned boxing in an effort to protect her mother from domestic abuse.[5]
Upon her return to Taiwan, Lin underwent additional tests that confirmed her eligibility.[5][17] In 2023, she successfully competed at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where she confirmed her eligibility and won Taiwan's first gold medal in boxing at the event.[17]
2024 Summer Olympics
The boxing events in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics were managed by the IOC's Paris 2024 Boxing Unit.[18] IOC President Thomas Bach defended the participation of Khelif and Lin: "There was never any doubt about them being a woman."[19]
In the Olympics, Lin defeated Staneva to advance to the semi-finals of the women's 57 kg category.[3] With this victory, Lin was assured at least a bronze medal.[20]
During the International Boxing Association (IBA) press conference in Paris on 5 August 2024, the position of the organization and its president Umar Kremlev regarding the nature of the conducted tests underwent changes and became contradictory. Initially, the IBA claimed that gender tests were conducted, but at the conference, Secretary General Chris Roberts spoke of "chromosome tests," while Kremlev asserted that the tests were aimed at determining testosterone levels in athletes. The situation was exacerbated by Kremlev's harsh statements, who repeatedly criticized IOC President Thomas Bach, declared his intention to initiate legal proceedings against him, and expressed dissatisfaction with the Olympic Games opening ceremony, calling it "humiliating.[21][22][23][24] The IBA claimed to have used laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for testing, but WADA denied involvement in gender verification, stating it deals solely with anti-doping matters.[23]
