An Olympic boxer made a shocking gesture to the crowd after being defeated by her opponent who failed the gender test.
Taiwan’s Lin You-ting beat her fellow boxer, Esra Yildiz Kahraman from Turkey in the semi-finals of the women’s featherweight match.
Controversy washed over the final stages of the fight after the Turkish athlete made an x symbol towards the crowd with her fingers.
Turkish female boxer takes a stand for women as she holds up an ‘X’ gesture after being beaten by a biological male.
XX= Female Chromosomes
Esra Yildiz Kahraman was defeated by Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting, who previously failed a gender test.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) August 7, 2024
After the fight concluded, both boxer seemingly shared a pleasant conversation in the middle of the ring.
However, when Lin went to her corner, Kahraman decided to make the x symbol – seemingly to represent the XX female chromosomes compared to the male XY.
It is assumed that this decision by the athlete was in relation to the controversy surrounding Algerian athlete Imane Khelif.
The IBA claims that both Khelif and Lin have XY chromosome after undergoing tests for gender eligibility for last years Women’s World Boxing Championships
As a result, Khelif was banned from fighting for her gold medal and Lin’s bronze medal was taken back.
Much talk has surrounded Khelif following her fight with Italy’s Angela Carini.
The Italian athlete left the ring after just 46 seconds, with a suspected broken nose, following a contentious match.
The Algerian athlete, who was born and raised as a girl, was banned from competing in a gold medal match in Delhi by the International Boxing Association after failing a gender eligibility test but has been allowed to fight at the 2024 Olympics.
Prior to the match, the Algerian Olympic Committee defended their boxer, issuing a statement condemning the criticism she faced.
The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) stated, “COA strongly condemns the unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets. Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics. The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion.”
Khelif’s father, Omar Khelif, has since spoken out in defence of his daughter:
“My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She’s a strong girl. I raised her to be hard-working and brave. She has a strong will to work and to train,”
“The Italian opponent she faced was unable to defeat my daughter because my daughter was stronger and she was softer.”
The IOC have also released a statement following the online abuse:
“Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.
“Eligibility rules should not be changed during an ongoing competition, and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and be based on scientific evidence.
“The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games in accordance with the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics, and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights.
“The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving.”
