TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Women’s Olympic gold medalist boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) announced on Monday (Aug. 12) that she has decided not to take legal action against the International Boxing Association (IBA) for making unsubstantiated accusations regarding her gender.
Lin stated that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has used the most stringent standards to review athletes’ qualifications, according to CNA. She added that the IOC has publicly confirmed multiple times that there are no issues with her qualifications, and she does not need to prove anything to the outside world.
After winning gold in the women’s 57kg weight division at the Paris Olympics, Lin said, “I have already proven myself with an Olympic gold medal.” Referring to defamatory comments by the IBA and netizens, she added, “There is no need to prove anything further to these people through legal action.”
The participation of Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif in the Olympics has been overshadowed by controversy stirred by the IBA after it disqualified the two athletes from the 2023 Boxing World Championships for allegedly failing gender tests. On Friday (Aug. 9), the Sports Administration said it would discuss with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) how to file a lawsuit against the IBA after the games.
On Sunday (Aug. 11), Lin overcame the controversy over her gender and made history by winning Taiwan’s first Olympic gold medal in boxing. She expressed her delight in winning the gold medal, thanked everyone for their support, and added, “This gold medal belongs to everyone.”
Lin thanked everyone for their concern and support, especially during the Olympics, when the Ministry of Education’s Sports Administration, the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC), and the National Sports Training Center protected her rights. She also expressed gratitude for the support from President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀), and the public, giving special thanks to the Sports Administration and the CTOC for respecting her wishes in handling external responses during this period.
Lin said she now wants to rest and enjoy the fruits of her victory. She also asked everyone to continue supporting boxing in Taiwan and thanked all her fans and supporters.
Cheng said that the IBA’s remarks were regrettable. The education minister added that after Lin’s “triumphant return to Taiwan,” her wishes would be respected before taking legal action.
