Gender row boxer Lin Yu-ting looks to follow Imane Khelif into an Olympic final and a shot at gold as she fights in semi-final tonight – as Taiwan threatens legal action over eligibility claims

An Olympic boxer at the center of a heated gender feud is preparing to enter the ring tonight for a shot at the featherweight final and a chance to win gold.

Lin Yu-ting is competing in the world championships in Paris after being banned from competing by the International Boxing Association (IBA) last year, claiming she had failed a gender test.

The Taiwanese fighter hopes to follow Algerian welterweight boxer Imane Khelif into the finals in her category. This boxer was also suspended by the IBA and has been subjected to fierce attacks because of her participation in the games.

The IBA’s chief executive said last week that male XY chromosomes had been found in “both cases”, but the association has been unable to provide evidence and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has questioned the accuracy of the tests.

Now, Taiwan’s sports administration is threatening legal action against the controversial boxing organization over its “continued publication of false information” about Lin’s eligibility to play.

The Russian-led IBA has been suspended by the IOC since 2019 over concerns about its finances, governance and assessment, and was stripped of its regulatory status last year.

It has been repeatedly alleged that the IOC is endangering female athletes by allowing Lin and Khelif to compete in the Games when it previously prevented them.

Both Lin and Khelif were registered female at birth, and The IOC has strongly defended its participation in the Games.

President Thomas Bach said there was “never any doubt” that the victims were women.

“We have two boxers who were born as women, who were raised as women, who have a passport as women and who have fought as women for many years. This is the clear definition of a woman.”

But the IBA reiterated its claims on Monday, with its chief, Umar Kremlev, saying in a video call from an office in Moscow that the athletes had been diagnosed with “the testosterone levels of a man.”

Meanwhile, Chris Roberts, CEO of the IBA and former head of Scottish boxing, said the athletes had undergone chromosome testing rather than a test for testosterone.

Taiwan’s sports governing body issued a statement yesterday expressing its anger over the organization’s continued commentary on Lin’s case.

A spokesman said: ‘The sports administration strongly protests against the International Boxing Federation’s continued publication of false information, covering up the facts and attempting to disrupt the normal course of the event, regardless of the rights and interests of the athletes.

‘The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee has also appointed a lawyer to send a warning letter to the IBA. It reserves the right to seek redress and will file a lawsuit if necessary.’

Lin will face Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman in the semi-finals on Wednesday and is assured of a bronze medal even if she loses.

The match comes after the 28-year-old defeated Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva by unanimous decision earlier this week.

The 34-year-old Bulgarian fighter left the arena shouting “no, no” and crossing her fingers. Her coach suggested that Lin not compete.

“I’m not a medical expert so I can’t say whether Lin can compete here or not, but if the test shows that he or she has the Y chromosome, she shouldn’t be here,” Borislav Georgiev told BBC Sport.

After the match, Lin refused to get involved in the ongoing controversy, saying she was focusing her energy on the fight instead.

“I have received many messages of support from my country and from people in Paris. I thank them,” she said. “But I have not been able to read them because I have closed my social media.

“I’m going to go ahead and go for the gold medal. I won a bronze medal, but I want to win the gold.”