Lin Yu-ting, a 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist, is set to return to the ring after World Boxing cleared her eligibility.
Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has been cleared by World Boxing to participate in the upcoming Asian Boxing Championships in Mongolia, starting March 29.
Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif faced scrutiny over their biological sex during the 2024 Olympics, where both met the International Olympic Committee's eligibility standards at the time.
World Boxing's Eligibility Policy
World Boxing, the sport's governing body, implemented a sex eligibility policy last August requiring a one-time genetic test to detect the presence of a Y chromosome, leading to Lin's absence from international events since then.
The Chinese Taipei Boxing Association appealed the results of Lin's test, and World Boxing confirmed the appeal's success, allowing her return without specifying the test details.
World Boxing's secretary-general Tom Dielen stated that the organization appreciates the appeal process and its focus on safety and integrity in the sport.
Taiwan's boxing association described the decision as a 'tremendous relief,' noting that independent medical experts confirmed Lin has been female since birth.
Meanwhile, Imane Khelif has not competed in World Boxing events since the policy's introduction and plans a professional debut in April, though professional fighters are ineligible for the Olympics.
Previously, both athletes were excluded from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association due to failed eligibility tests, but the IOC permitted their participation in Paris, citing an arbitrary decision by the IBA.
Chromosome testing, once common in Olympic sports, was largely abandoned in the 1990s due to unresolved ambiguities related to differences in sex development, providing context to current policies.
