Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) was eligible to compete in an international competition in the UK, the event’s organizer said yesterday, one day after Lin withdrew because it allegedly questioned her gender eligibility.
“World Boxing’s current eligibility policy does not prevent Lin Yu-ting from taking part in the World Boxing Cup,” the sporting federation said in a statement responding to comments from the Sports Administration.
“Selection decisions are made by national federations and the boxer was not entered in the event,” the statement said.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
While World Boxing regards the safety of athletes as “absolutely paramount,” it also recognizes that “gender clarity is an extremely complex issue with significant welfare concerns,” it said.
For that reason, World Boxing established a working group under its Medical Committee to “examine every aspect of this area” and ensure that its policy “prioritizes the health of boxers and delivers sporting integrity,” while also “endeavoring to make the sport as inclusive as possible,” it said.
World Boxing’s comments came one day after an eligibility dispute prompted Lin to pull out of the World Boxing Cup Finals in Sheffield, England, which are being held from Wednesday through tomorrow.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Sports Administration Director-General Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠) described Lin’s treatment as “regrettable,” since she was already cleared to compete in women’s boxing by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the Paris Olympic Games.
The World Boxing Cup Finals would have been Lin’s first competition since winning gold in the women’s 57kg category at this year’s Paris Olympic Games, where she was the subject of a gender eligibility row fueled by the International Boxing Association, the agency said.
World Boxing did not have “a clear policy and rules like the IOC to protect athletes, nor comprehensive information or procedures to ensure confidentiality for us to submit Lin’s medical records,” the Sports Administration said.
World Boxing also rejected a proposal for Lin to undergo a medical check in Sheffield, the agency said.
To avoid further “harm” to Lin, her coach and Taiwanese sports officials made the decision to “withdraw from the event proactively,” it said.
Taiwan joined World Boxing, which was founded in April last year, through the Chinese Taipei Boxing Association in mid-August.
The Taiwanese delegation to the event in Sheffield, attended by boxers from more than 20 countries, included Lin and Tokyo Games bronze medalist Huang Hsiao-wen (黃筱雯).
Lin, a two-time International Boxing Association (IBA) world champion in 2018 and 2022, was disqualified over her gender eligibility after winning a bronze at last year’s IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in March of that year.
The IOC suspended the IBA as the sport’s recognized governing body in 2019, because of its lack of institutional reforms and transparency, instead choosing to organize the boxing events itself at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and Paris.
The IOC said a new international boxing body was needed for the sport to be included in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and urged members to sever their links with the IBA because of its questionable governance.
However, 25 members of the Asian Boxing Confederation voted down a proposal to break from the IBA during an extraordinary congress held in Bangkok on Saturday last week, a blow to the 55-member World Boxing as well as its plan to obtain IOC recognition and keep the sport in the 2028 Summer Games.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS