- Lin Yu-Ting won her quarter-final in the featherweight on Sunday to secure a medal
- Khelif secured himself a medal after a unanimous decision win over Hamori
- Both fighters were at the centre of a dispute over eligibility requirements for the Paris Games
A boxer who was defeated by one of the two athletes in the middle of the Olympic line made an ‘X’ symbol at the end of their fight, indicating that she is a woman.
On a day when the controversy surrounding the Games continues to rage, Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva crossed her fingers and tapped them twice at the crowd to indicate the female X chromosome in a powerful gesture after her unanimous loss to Lin Yu-Ting.
Taiwan’s Yu-Ting’s convincing victory has ensured that she and Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who also failed a gender test at last year’s world championships, are now assured of a medal.
Staneva’s action, combined with Yu-Ting’s progress, will cause even more headaches for Games’ bosses, following further developments in a story that continues to dominate the competition.
It emerged last night that officials from Russia’s IBA, which had been stripped of its right to host boxing at the Olympics amid serious corruption and governance concerns, had written to Olympic bosses in June last year informing them of the disqualification and that their tests at the world championships had shown that Khelif’s DNA was “that of a male and consisted of XY chromosomes”.
Bulgarian Svetlana Staneva crossed her fingers and tapped them twice at the crowd after the defeat
Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting secured her place in the Olympic final after beating Staneva on Sunday
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif (right) ensured she too would receive a medal at the Games with a victory on Saturday
The letter, which was leaked to the website 3wiresports.com along with the test results, continued: “This situation exemplifies the importance of protecting safe sport and the integrity of sport to which the Olympic Movement is collectively committed.”
When asked about the letter, IOC spokesman Mark Adams confirmed he had received it but disputed its validity. “Those tests are not legitimate,” he said. “The tests themselves, the process of the tests, the ad hoc nature of the tests are not legitimate.
“There is no reason for the test. The test, as far as we can see, was taken arbitrarily. The decision that I saw reported also related to the match where one of the boxers defeated a Russian boxer.”
When asked if he doubted the actual results of the tests, Adams replied, “The whole process is flawed. And that’s why it’s not my place as a spokesperson. I’m not a medical expert. But the whole process is flawed.”
Adams also hit out at the leaking of the letter. “I think it’s absolutely outrageous, to be honest,” he said. “It must be awful to be put in that position. On top of all the social media harassment that these athletes have had.”
Following her win, 28-year-old featherweight Yu-Ting said she had disabled her social media channels.
“It was a very uncomfortable step,” she said. “Winning this competition doesn’t mean I can relax. I’ve received a lot of messages of support. I haven’t read them because I’ve closed my social media. The entire population of Taiwan is supporting me, so I’m going to use that strength to hopefully go all the way to the end.”
IOC spokesman Mark Adams confirmed that the letter from the IBA had been received, but he disputed its validity
Staneva’s coach suggested that his fighter’s opponent not compete. “I’m not a medical person, so I shouldn’t say whether Lin should compete or not,” Borislav Georgiev said. “But if the test shows that she has Y (male) chromosomes, she can’t be here.”
Khelif will fight Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in her semi-final on Tuesday, with the final on Friday. Yu-Ting will face Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman in the semi-final on Wednesday, and a win would see her reach the final on Saturday.