Lin Yu-ting, the Olympic Taiwanese fighter at the center of a gender controversy that has made international headlines, defeated female Turkish fighter Esra Yildiz Kahraman by unanimous decision on Wednesday night, securing Yu-ting’s advancement to the gold medal round.
After the fight, Kahraman made the ‘XX’ symbol with her fingers to signify that she is, in fact, a female.
Controversy has embroiled both Yu-ting and Algerian fighter Imane Khelif since both failed gender tests last year.
In 2023, the IBA President Umar Kremlev explained his organization’s decision to disqualify Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting and Algeria’s Imane Khelif from competing in the IBA’s 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships, according to Russia’s Tass News Agency. “Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition,” Kremlev said.
Kahraman aggressively pursued Yu-ting throughout the fight but could not contend with the Taiwanese fighter’s strength or range.
Despite failing gender tests in 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has steadfastly maintained that both Yu-ting and Kheli are women and should be fighting in the women’s division.
“Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said. “They are women in their passports, and it’s stated that this is the case.”
Yu-ting will fight for the gold medal in the women’s 57kg division on Saturday.