Taiwanese athletes fought well in the Paris Olympics and the public has been moved by their successes. One Taiwanese Olympian in particular who captured the public’s attention is boxer and women’s 57kg (featherweight) champion Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷), who navigated her way through a fabricated controversy and delivered a KO against the bullying directed at her, taking home an Olympic gold medal.
Not only did Lin beat back a malicious front, she also brought Taiwan to the forefront of the world stage. Her gold medal win was just the cherry on top.
During last year’s Women’s World Boxing Championships, scandal-besieged International Boxing Association (IBA), which has been stripped of its Olympic credentials, scrutinized and contested Lin’s gender, deciding to disqualify her and revoke her hard-won bronze medal.
FUEL TO THE FIRE
On the eve of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, the fauxtroversy was rehashed, with author J.K. Rowling adding fuel to the IBA dumpster fire.
After the IBA’s irrational attacks on Lin during a news conference, Lin faced an avalanche of pressure, but she persisted, instead focusing her energy on her matches and rising above the fray. She kept fighting and defeating her opponents one after another.
Although Poland’s Julia Szeremeta mocked and derided Lin on X and came after her again on the eve of the gold medal match by posting a meme questioning Lin’s gender, Lin coolly faced her down and won gold. Each of Lin’s heavy punches in the final against Szeremeta ultimately ended in a vanquishing of vicious vitriol, and once more drew attention to Taiwan thanks to her winning gold.
YEARS IN THE MAKING
Growing up in a single-parent home, Lin said she learned how to box so that she could protect her mother.
At first, she found it hard to gain acceptance, but she maintained her drive and spirit. She learned that she could cultivate an unsurpassed mindset, because of the frustrations and setbacks she experienced in major and minor matches. That ultimately enabled her win Taiwan’s first-ever gold medal in boxing — a feat forged through thousands of hours of training.
After Lin vanquished her opponent, she knelt down and kissed the floor of the ring. As she left the ring, she lifted her coach up and carried him around in celebration. This shows the indescribable bond between her and her teacher.
Standing on the podium during the award ceremony, she broke down in tears — an indication of her achieving her dream. Her tears were perhaps also a cathartic outpouring after all the nastiness she had to deal with — the terrible treatment which has gripped Taiwanese throughout the games.
TAIWAN’S RESPONSE
The Chinese Taipei Boxing Association has not yet filed a suit against the IBA for its attacks and the gender fauxtroversy, which led to storm clouds rising again over the Olympics and bullying from all around quickly following.
President William Lai (賴清德) said that the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee has issued a legal letter of warning to the IBA, and is discussing with the IOC filing further complaints and legal motions to stand up for Lin’s dignity and honor.
The government should act as quickly as possible to help restore Lin’s honor and name. It should participate in competitions of all levels, so that Taiwanese athletes never again fall victim to gender fauxtroversies.
Wen Shun-te is a high-school principal.
Translated by Tim Smith
To The Honorable Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜): We would like to extend our sincerest regards to you for representing Taiwan at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on Monday. The Taiwanese-American community was delighted to see that Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan speaker not only received an invitation to attend the event, but successfully made the trip to the US. We sincerely hope that you took this rare opportunity to share Taiwan’s achievements in freedom, democracy and economic development with delegations from other countries. In recent years, Taiwan’s economic growth and world-leading technology industry have been a source of pride for Taiwanese-Americans.
Next week, the nation is to celebrate the Lunar New Year break. Unfortunately, cold winds are a-blowing, literally and figuratively. The Central Weather Administration has warned of an approaching cold air mass, while obstinate winds of chaos eddy around the Legislative Yuan. English theologian Thomas Fuller optimistically pointed out in 1650 that “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” We could paraphrase by saying the coldest days are just before the renewed hope of spring. However, one must temper any optimism about the damage being done in the legislature by the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), under
As Taiwan’s domestic political crisis deepens, the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have proposed gutting the country’s national spending, with steep cuts to the critical foreign and defense ministries. While the blue-white coalition alleges that it is merely responding to voters’ concerns about corruption and mismanagement, of which there certainly has been plenty under Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and KMT-led governments, the rationales for their proposed spending cuts lay bare the incoherent foreign policy of the KMT-led coalition. Introduced on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the KMT’s proposed budget is a terrible opening
US President Donald Trump on Monday gave his inauguration speech. Although mainly directed at US citizens, his words were subject to global scrutiny by leaders and others wanting to understand more about his intentions for his second term. The US has been Taiwan’s strongest ally since the end of World War II and Trump’s first term brought many welcome advances in Taiwan-US ties. Still, many Taiwanese are concerned about what Trump’s second term will mean for the nation, especially after comments he made concerning Taiwan’s national defense and semiconductor industry. During Monday’s address, Trump said that the US “will once again consider
RSS