TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Although the International Olympics Committee (IOC) has confirmed Taiwanese Paris Olympics boxer Lin Yu-ting's (林郁婷) eligibility to compete, former Irish boxer Barry McGuigan and author J.K. Rowling have publicly challenged Lin's right to fight, labeling her as a transgender athlete.
Rowling recently posted on X and shared an article from The Guardian, stating, “What will it take to end this insanity? A female boxer left with life-altering injuries? A female boxer killed?” McGuigan said in an X post: “It’s shocking that they were actually allowed to get this far, what is going on?”
The controversy started after Lin was disqualified from the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) International Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi last year. Lin “failed to meet eligibility rules, following a test conducted by an independent laboratory,” per IBA official report.
The test was not a “testosterone examination.” It was “a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential,” according to a statement the IBA released Wednesday (July 31).
The IOC said in a statement that “all athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations,” per Reuters. “The IOC will not discriminate against an athlete who has qualified through their IF, on the basis of their gender identity and/or sex characteristics,” the Olympics’ fairness, inclusion and nondiscrimination article reads.
Lin was registered female at birth, New Taipei City Councilor Cho Kuan-ting (卓冠廷) said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. Lin’s national identification number begins with a “2,” the designation for females, while males are assigned a “1.” The number cannot be altered, according to Hsinchu City Government.
Lin has been competing in female boxing competitions since she was in middle school, per Lin's middle school documentary posted by Lin's coach, Tseng Tzu-chiang (曾自強). The first time in Taiwan's sports history that transgender middle and high school athletes have been explicitly allowed to participate was in Taiwan's 2023 National High School Games, per the Ministry of Education.
Lin, born in 1995, began boxing at 13 to protect her mother from domestic abuse, her mother revealed. Lin became the first to take gold in Taiwan’s women’s junior boxing history at the IBA Women's Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships in 2013, per New Taipei City 2021.
During the 2023 New Delhi championships, Lin was asked to sign a document admitting to unspecified violations, a move she resisted, Lin said in an interview with Taiwan's Public Television Service. She was told that she would be stripped of her medal whether or not she signed her name.
Taiwan’s Sports Administration conducted additional tests that confirmed Lin's eligibility for international competition. The IBA denied her an opportunity to appeal the disqualification.
Sports Administration Director-General Cheng Shih-Chung (鄭世忠) said Wednesday (July 31) the Olympic Council of Asia Medical Commission conducted a thorough examination of Lin during her stay in Hangzhou, per Taiwan's Sports Administration. The tests confirmed that she is fully eligible to compete.
Cheng called the accusations discriminatory and a deliberate attempt to undermine Lin’s mental state.
Lin has faced significant obstacles in her career, including the challenge of competing against male athletes in training. She understands the difference in athletic ability between different genders, and this has made her question if she should give up boxing. Despite these hurdles, Lin has persevered, overcoming self-doubt to achieve her dream of competing on the world stage.
