Olympic Champion Gets Final Verdict From World Boxing After Gender Controversy

Lin Yu-ting can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The 30-year-old decorated amateur boxer from Taiwan has cleared the final barrier that kept her out of competition since she won featherweight gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024. World Boxing (WB), the organization that now oversees the boxing program for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has cleared Yu-ting to compete in its events under the female category.

The decision closes a chapter that began in 2024, when the Summer Games unfolded in the French capital, and controversy engulfed Lin Yu-ting and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif over their biological sex and eligibility to compete in women’s boxing. The fallout followed a dispute between the International Boxing Association (IBA), which had previously disqualified Yu-ting and Khelif at the 2023 World Championships for failing their gender eligibility test, and the IOC. With World Boxing’s approval now in place, Yu-ting can return to top-level competition, including the 2028 LA Olympics.

“World Boxing can confirm that, following an appeal by the National Federation, the boxer is eligible to take part in the forthcoming Asian Boxing Championships in Mongolia, 29 March – 10 April 2026,” WB’s official statement read. “The appeal process was conducted in line with World Boxing’s sex eligibility policy, which was introduced in August 2025 and includes mandatory sex testing to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes who want to participate in its competitions.”

That policy shaped the next steps. This past August, World Boxing introduced its controversial new Sex Eligibility Policy, including mandatory PCR testing for the SRY gene, which, according to them, would ensure “safety and sporting integrity.” Lin Yu-ting’s team submitted her initial test results in September, a month after the new rules were introduced. However, despite submitting herself to the test, WB failed to confirm her eligibility in time for the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool.

Boxing Roland Garros Lin Yu-ting became the second boxer in 24 hours to win women s Olympic gold despite the ongoing row over her gender eligibility as she beats Julia Szeremeta from Poland Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Olympische Spiele, Olympia, OS Day Fifteen, Paris, France – 10 Aug 2024 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxGRExMLTxCYPxROUxBULxUAExKSAxONLY Copyright: xDavexShopland/Shutterstockx 14622999eb

As a result, the Chinese Taipei Boxing Association (CTBA) made the decision for her to skip the championships to avoid traveling without a guarantee. Soon after, the CTBA filed an appeal. To that end, Taiwan’s national sports authority also formed a medical team to support Yu-ting’s case.

Lin Yu-ting back in the ring after the World Boxing ruling

World Boxing’s Medical Committee then reviewed and analyzed the submitted materials. After determining that Yu-ting qualified as female and met the criteria to compete in the female category, they informed the Chinese Taipei Boxing Association of the eligibility decision.

“Following the conclusion of an appeal process by the National Federation, which was conducted in line with World Boxing’s Sex Eligibility policy and overseen by World Boxing’s Medical Committee,” Tom Dielen, WB’s Secretary General, stated, “we can confirm that the boxer is eligible to compete in the female category at World Boxing competitions.”

“We recognize that this has been a difficult period for the boxer and the CTBA and appreciate the way they have approached the appeal process and their acknowledgment of World Boxing’s requirement to ensure that its eligibility policy, which is designed to deliver safety and sporting integrity, has been correctly implemented and followed.”

With clearance secured, Lin Yu-ting can now participate in the upcoming Asian Boxing Championships scheduled to take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, later this month. It will mark her first international appearance since winning gold at the Paris Olympics.

The spotlight now shifts to the status of Imane Khelif, who is in a similar quandary.

But unlike Yu-ting, the Algerian boxer has yet to receive clearance from World Boxing. The primary reason stems from her decision to challenge its mandatory sex-testing policy in court. Her final hearing has been pending since February. In an interview, Khelif made it clear she would accept testing only if the IOC conducts it instead of World Boxing.

Meanwhile, following the French Boxing Federation’s decision to award her a license, she plans to make her professional debut next month.

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