TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Cabinet announced on Tuesday (Aug. 13) that Taiwan would recognize Lin Yu-ting's (林郁婷) bronze medal won at the 2023 World Boxing Championships and award her with prize money, despite the International Boxing Association's (IBA) disqualifying her after allegedly failing a gender test.
Cabinet spokesperson Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said that the IBA unjustly stripped Lin of her bronze medal won at the championships in New Delhi in March of last year, per CNA. However, in light of recent developments, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has requested a special project be drafted to reward her win, granting the Guoguang Sports Medal (國光奬) and a cash prize according to the regulations, said Chen.
The IBA claimed that Lin had been disqualified after allegedly failing a chromosome test, the details of which have not been made public. This IBA statement also caused Lin to face intense controversy over her gender, but she overcame this obstacle to win gold in the women's 57kg division at the Paris Olympics.
Chen said that because the IBA had stripped Lin of her medal last year, the government could not award her the Guoguang Sports Medal and accompanying bonus. However, Chen said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) revoked the IBA's status as the global governing body of boxing in 2023 over alleged corruption and financial mismanagement.
Chen pointed out that the IOC issued public statements during the Paris Olympics that it used the most stringent standards to assess the qualifications of Olympic athletes and declared Lin's eligibility had no issues. IOC President Thomas Bach also repeatedly supported Lin's participation in the games.
Therefore, Chen said all evidence indicates that the IBA's decision in March 2023 to strip Lin of her World Championship bronze, was “unreasonable.”
Chen said that Cho announced Taiwan will “restore” the awards “unjustly revoked” by the IBA to "safeguard the honor and rights of the athlete." The premier has instructed the Sports Administration to draft a special project based on this principle, restoring Lin's honor and awarding her the Guoguang Sports Medal and a cash prize of NT$900,000 (US$27,000).
Chen said this is intended to “express the nation's and the public's gratitude and recognition of Lin's outstanding performance in important international competitions over the years.”
