Olympic gold medalist in women’s 57kg boxing Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) yesterday said she has decided not to take legal action against those who questioned her gender eligibility during the Paris Olympics.
Lin said her gold medal speaks for itself and she does not need to prove anything more to her accusers, such as the International Boxing Association (IBA).
Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif were disqualified at last year’s Women’s World Championships for failing the IBA’s unspecified gender-related tests, with the association casting doubt on their gender during the Games.
Photo: AFP
Lin said she is grateful for all the support and care she has received, and that her gold medal belongs to everyone.
Gender eligibility rules in sports are complex, and should consider multiple criteria and the broader context, experts said amid the gender controversy.
Relying on a single factor, such as testosterone levels — a key criterion for eligibility in Olympic events — could be considered dogmatic, the Science Media Center Taiwan said in a press release on Thursday last week, citing experts.
It is not appropriate to use testosterone levels as a definitive criterion for determining gender, as some females have naturally high levels of the hormone, said Hsu Mei-chich (許美智), a professor at Kaohsiung Medical University’s Department of Sports Medicine.
For males, normal testosterone concentrations range from 10 to 35 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L), while for females, the normal range is lower, typically below 2.5 nmol/L, she said, adding that ranges can vary depending on the laboratory and testing methods used.
“It is crucial that any interpretation of testosterone levels should consider the individual’s overall health status and medical background,” she said.
The Olympics implemented stricter regulations regarding athletes with differences of sex development (DSD) ahead of the Paris Games, following the vote of the World Athletics Council in March last year to halve the maximum blood testosterone level for females to below 2.5 nmol/L.
However, Hsu said it was wrong to conclude that someone is not female simply based on high testosterone readings, as a 2014 study published in Clinical Endocrinology said there could be a significant overlap in testosterone concentrations between men and women.
The study of 693 athletes showed that 16.5 percent of “male” athletes had testosterone levels below the normal range, while 13.7 percent of “female” athletes had levels above the normal range, she said.
National Cheng Kung University Hospital pediatrician Tsai Meng-che (蔡孟哲) said that sexual development is very complex, because it involves diverse definitions of sex.
High testosterone levels do not necessarily indicate that a person is male or that banned substances are being used, as people with androgen resistance might have high testosterone, but still be anatomically female, he said.
“Based on my training as a physician, unless people choose to disclose their condition, they are just like any other person to me, not patients with chromosomal abnormalities or with DSD,” he said.
In addition, although DSD affects sexual development, it is not a direct cause of differences in athletic performance, he said.
Other factors include nutrition, training, genetics, psychology and disease, with their influence on performance varying from person to person, he said.
The IBA said that neither Lin nor Khelif should have been allowed to compete in Paris, while the International Olympic Committee stood by its decision to allow them to compete. Both boxers won gold medals in their respective weight classes.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS