TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's boxing team departed for Liverpool, England, Monday (Sept. 1) to compete in the World Boxing World Championships, but Olympic gold medalist Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) remains excluded amid ongoing gender testing controversies. The International Olympic Committee-recognized championships will run from Thursday (Sept. 4) through next Saturday (Sept. 14), featuring competitors from around the globe in this prestigious international tournament.
The World Boxing Championships will showcase 10 weight divisions for both men and women, drawing over 550 athletes from more than 65 countries worldwide. Lin, who captured gold in the 57-kilogram division at the Paris Olympics, faces exclusion from World Boxing events due to disputes over gender testing protocols. World Boxing announced mandatory physiological gender testing for athletes over 18 in May, including polymerase chain reaction tests to determine birth gender and competition eligibility.
The Chinese Taipei Boxing Association (CTBA, 中華民國拳擊協會), Taiwan's national boxing governing body, assembled a medical team over a month ago with genetics, physiology, and sports medicine experts. The association has contacted World Boxing for clearer participation guidelines since August but received no response regarding Lin's eligibility. Officials expressed hope that World Boxing can provide answers soon regarding the disputed testing requirements. ◼