GENDER-ROW boxer Lin Yu-Ting cruised to a comprehensive points win in her Olympic opener – without the extreme controversy of Thursday’s stoppage by Algerian Imane Khelif.
Both Lin and Khelif were disqualified from last year’s World Championships in New Delhi after failing gender eligibility tests – but were given the green light by the IOC to fight in Paris.
And Khelif sparked global debate when her Italian opponent Angela Carini quit after 46 seconds of their welterweight bout.
There was no such grisly mismatch between 28-year-old featherweight Lin and Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan – despite Lin winning all three rounds, two of them unanimously – although her opponent did appear to leave the ring in tears.
Lin has been beaten 14 times in her career and only scored one knock-out in 54 fights.
Like Khelif, Lin was disqualified from last year’s World Championships in New Delhi due to failing an unspecified gender test.
The 2023 World Championships were run by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA).
With the disgraced IBA no longer recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as boxing’s world governing body, Khelif and Lin were both allowed to compete at Paris 2024.
The IBA have not clarified why either fighter failed their gender test, which led to Lin being stripped of a bronze medal at last year’s World Championships.
But they have confirmed that neither underwent testosterone examinations.
Neither Khelif or Lin identify as transgender or intersex.
But the former’s victory over Angela Carini sparked a major backlash.
The fight ended just 46 seconds into the opening round, after Carini took a pair of shots to the face.
Having abruptly ended the contest, the Italian refused to acknowledge her opponent before sinking to her knees in tears.
Later speaking in Italian, Carini revealed that she had “never felt a punch like it”.
She added that she was there to “honour her father and represent her country” – and that she felt “heartbroken”.
Carini then revealed: “After the second one (punch landed) I couldn’t breathe anymore.
“I went to my coach and said ‘enough’ because it takes maturity and courage to stop. I didn’t feel like fighting anymore.”
Her coach added: “I don’t know if her nose is broken. I have to speak with the girl. But many people in Italy tried to call and tell her: “Don’t go please: it’s a man, it’s dangerous for you.”
Ahead of the contest, the Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) defended their athlete’s participation.
Their statement read: “COA strongly condemns the unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets.”
It went on to add: “Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics.
“The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion.”
The IOC also released a statement addressing the controversy.
It read: “These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.
“Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.
“According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.”
They went on to add: “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.
“The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving. Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination.”
This is a more complicated case than the barrage of shameful transgender scandals which have engulfed women’s sport in recent years.
Khelif reportedly has a condition called Swyer Syndrome which means she has some female reproductive organs but also much higher levels of testosterone than women.
As a result, she has a superior physicality to females, which can be seen by her tall, powerful frame.
In other words, she has an unfair advantage.
And that’s why there’s been such a furious response, led by JK Rowling, Elon Musk, and Martina Navratilova, to the footage of Carini quitting after being smashed in the face.
The obvious, indisputable, medical, and scientific, truth is that someone born with male biology of any kind has an obvious physical advantage over biological females.
That’s why we keep the sexes apart in the Olympics.
Otherwise, women would barely win a single medal.
To pretend otherwise is to be either utterly deluded or wilfully dishonest.
