The Paris Olympics, the 33rd edition, has been a major topic of discussion. The spotlight is currently on boxers like Algerian Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who are competing in the female division. This situation recently escalated when the Taiwanese boxing star defeated Svetlana Kamenova Staneva of Bulgaria by a unanimous decision in the featherweight quarterfinals on Sunday, securing her third boxing medal.

However, the real controversy erupted after the match. Reports emerged of a devastated Staneva refusing to shake hands with Lin Yu Ting and instead defiantly displaying an “X” gesture in the ring, implying her XX chromosomes compared to her opponent’s reported XY chromosomes.

In 2023, Iman Khelif and Lin Yu Ting found themselves in the spotlight when they were disqualified from the World Boxing Championship held in New Delhi. Their eligibility was questioned after a test revealed elevated testosterone levels in their blood. IBA president Umar Kremlev then announced that anonymous test results indicated Khelif and Lin possess XY chromosomes. It’s worth noting that both fighters participated in the Tokyo Olympics three years earlier, before this controversy.

Later, after the International Boxing Association (IBA) imposed the ban, both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting had the opportunity to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). However, Yu-ting did not file an appeal within the stipulated timeframe, making the IBA’s decision binding on her. On the other hand, while Imane Khelif initially appealed to the CAS, she subsequently withdrew her appeal, resulting in the IBA’s decision becoming final for her as well.

However, not everyone opposes Iman Khelif and Lin Yu Ting competing in the women’s Olympic division. A former WBC champion recently expressed support for Imane Khelif, revealing they had sparred and trained together.

WBC champion supports Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting

Nicolson clarified her position, claiming both Khelif and Lin were born female. She said, “I just want to clarify a couple of things… I’ve actually fought and sparred with both of the girls. They were born female. They were born with an XY chromosome, which is the male chromosome, but they were born with female bodies.”

Meanwhile, days after her fight with Khelif, Carinin also interacted with the Italian publication, Gazzetta dello Sport, claiming that she wanted to apologize to her opponent for not shaking hands after the game while also claiming that she would like to “embrace her” if they meet next.

“All this controversy makes me sad. I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision. It wasn’t something I intended to do. Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke,” remarked Carini.