Olympic Boxer Lin Yu-Ting Returns, Dominates Women's Ring at Taiwan National Games

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who won gold in the women's featherweight division at the 2024 Paris Olympics amid controversy, returned to competition at Taiwan's National Games with a swift victory over 19-year-old Pan Yan-fei. The match ended after just 94 seconds when Pan's coach threw in the towel due to multiple head shots and breathing difficulties experienced by Pan, who was later described as stable. Lin's eligibility for women's boxing has been disputed internationally: the International Boxing Association (IBA) banned her following tests indicating XY chromosomes, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed her to compete based on passport gender identification. Since the Olympics, World Boxing, the sport's new governing body, has implemented mandatory sex-testing policies requiring athletes to have no Y chromosome to compete in female categories, a rule Lin and fellow boxer Imane Khelif contest. Lin has not competed internationally since these policies came into effect but continues to compete domestically in Taiwan, where no such sex-testing protocols exist. The ongoing debate highlights the challenges posed by intersex athletes and the differing standards between international and national boxing organizations.