Lin needs to shut out 'nonsense' gender row, says ex-federation chief

PARIS : The raging debate over boxers Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics is "nonsense" and any talk about it should be ignored by the Taiwanese fighter, the ex-president of the country's boxing federation told Reuters.

"I advised her not to listen to outside noise or pay too much attention to what others say," Lee Wu-nan said ahead of Lin's semi-final on Wednesday.

"Many people previously questioned her gender but I said those were just psychological tactics meant to disrupt her.

"I told Lin not to be afraid; all of Taiwan supports you, including former President Tsai Ing-wen, who came to watch her practise."

The 28-year-old Lin moved a step closer to Olympic gold when she beat Turkey's Esra Yildiz by unanimous decision in the women's featherweight semi-finals.

Lin and Algerian boxer Khelif, a silver medallist at the 2022 world championships, have been in the spotlight at the Paris Games as part of a storm that has dominated headlines and been much discussed on social media platforms.

Both boxers were disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, with the body saying in a press conference on Monday that a sex chromosome test had ruled them ineligible.

They are competing in the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its status as the sport's governing body in 2023 and took control of organising the boxing in Paris.

"The gender issue is nonsense - she has always been female," said Lee. "She has been tested many times throughout competitions, and once they even took her to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for a check-up, and there were absolutely no issues. It's nonsense."

The IOC has rejected the results of the