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Taiwan’s sports officials have threatened the International Boxing Association of taking a legal action after the organisation labelled a fighter as ‘male’. The IBA claimed that one of the Taiwanese fighters in the Paris Olympics 2024 women’s competition was ‘a man’. Notably, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting and Algeria’s Imane Khelif have drawn major gender row at the Summer Games 2024. Both the boxers have been guaranteed a medal after making it to the semi-finals, were disqualified from the world championships in 2023.
However, the International Olympic Committee, which has run the boxing competitions without the IBA at Tokyo and Paris, cleared them to compete. Notably, both the organisations have been involved in an open dispute and the IOC took over the sport because of IBA’s financial, governance and ethical concerns.
The IBA President Kremlin-linked oligarch Umar Kremlev claimed that both fighters had “genetic testing that shows that these are men.” In response, Taiwan’s Sports Administration said that it filed a “solemn protest against the IBA.” Not only this, but it also accused the regulating body of "continuing to publish false information to mislead the public and attempt to interfere with the Games".
In its official statement, the administrative body said, "The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (Taiwan) has retained a lawyer to send a letter of warning to the IBA, and reserves the right to pursue legal action and file a lawsuit if necessary.”
