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Turkey’s Esra Yildiz had a message following her loss to Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting.
For the past few weeks, Yu-ting, along with Algeria’s Imane Khelif, has been at the center of a gender controversy at the Olympics.
Last year, Yu-ting and Khelif were disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association for failing to meet their eligibility requirements for the women’s competition. IBA President Umar Kremlev told the Russian news agency Tass that the boxers were disqualified because “it was proven they have XY chromosomes.”
The International Olympic Committee disagreed with the IBA’s ruling, allowing both boxers to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Via ESPN
“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA,” the IOC said in its statement. “Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process. “According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.”
On Wednesday, Yu-ting advanced to the women’s featherweight boxing final by beating Turkey’s Esra Yildiz in the semifinals, 5-0.
After their match, Yildiz protested the loss by holding up an “X” gesture at the center of the ring, referencing the IBA’s claim that Yu-ting tested positive for having XY chromosomes.
Yu-Ting’s previous opponent, Svetlana Staneva also made a similar gesture following her loss to the Taiwanese boxer earlier this week.