TAIPEI.- The president of Taiwan On Friday, the island’s Olympic women’s boxing champion Lin Yu-ting was praised for having triumphed despite attacks on her gender, at a party honoring athletes from the island who were in the Olympics. Paris Games.
“He has earned the respect and admiration of the people, not only for his performance in the ring, but also for his attitude outside of it,” said leader Lai Ching-te during the celebration at the Presidential Palace in Taipei.
Lin won the gold medal in the under 57kg category. It was an emotional victory as, like Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, she had been embroiled in a worldwide media controversy over whether she should be allowed to compete in the women’s category.
In a speech at the party, the 28-year-old boxer, dubbed ‘Taiwan’s Daughter’ by local media, thanked “the country and the people” for their support.
Lin and Khelif’s Olympic participation sparked hostile comments from a range of celebrities, from US presidential candidate Donald Trump to Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
The two boxers had been disqualified by their sport’s International Federation (IBA) for the 2023 World Championships, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) authorized their presence at the Paris Games.
Mixed opinions
Russian IBA chairman and Kremlin oligarch Umar Kremlev said the two women had undergone “genetic tests which show they are men.”
IOC President Thomas Bach defended the two boxers, saying they were born and raised as women, as their passports also show. Neither has identified as transgender.
Taiwanese athletes won seven medals at Paris 2024, including two gold and five bronze. It is the island’s second best result at the Olympic Games.
