Lin Yu-ting dismisses Trump, Rowling false accusations with good humor

Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) Taiwanese Olympic gold medalist Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) countered false accusations about her gender status made by Trump and J. K. Rowling on Sunday with good-humored indifference.

When asked by reporters to comment on disparaging remarks former U.S. President Donald Trump had made about her on Saturday, Lin described Taiwan as a "friendly" place that can accept different opinions.

"This is a friendly society, we are able to tolerate different voices," the 28-year-old athlete said at a promotional event in Taipei. "Each of us can have a different appearance, so of course we can also have different voices."

At a political rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Trump had falsely suggested that Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif had been "men," according to the Associated Press.

"They transitioned to women, and they were in the boxing," the former U.S. president said, despite the fact that neither Lin nor Khelif are transgender and both have identified as female since birth.

Lin, who won the women's 57-kilogram division boxing contest at the recently-concluded Paris Olympics, told reporters that she had not read news reports about Trump's remarks, so was unable to give any specific response.

At a separate publicity event in New Taipei earlier on Sunday, Lin was also asked by reporters for her views on recent comments made by British fiction writer J. K. Rowling.

On Aug. 9, the author of the popular children's novel Harry Potter had suggested on X (formerly Twitter) that Lin and Khelif's participation at the Paris Olympics was "insanity," implying that the female athletes were actually men.

"What will it take to end this insanity? A female boxer left with life-altering injuries? A female boxer killed?" Rowling's post said.

Lin downplayed the significance of Rowling's misleading social media post by thanking the famous author for raising her profile on the world stage.

"Thanks to that 'friend' for letting everyone get to know me," Lin said wryly.

Rowling's X account, which has more than 14 million followers, has been unusually quiet since Aug. 8, with the British author currently facing a lawsuit brought against her by French prosecutors for her online posts, according to Newsweek magazine.

Taiwan's "Queen of Boxing" has consistently appeared unfazed by the brouhaha over her and Khelif's gender eligibility that emerged after the discredited International Boxing Association (IBA) accused the pair of being men despite providing no evidence for their assertion.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) described the IBA's statements about Lin and Khelif as "misleading information."

The IOC suspended the IBA in 2019 and revoked its recognition in 2023 due to corruption scandals and financial mismanagement at the Russian-led association. The IBA had "no involvement" in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, according to an IOC statement issued in May.

Taiwan has stood firmly behind their boxing star with leaders from across the political spectrum expressing their unreserved support.

Lin, who was certified female at birth and has always competed as a woman in tournaments over the years, was described by New Taipei Major Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) as "the daughter of Taiwan", while President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said he believed that "all of us in Taiwan" were proud of the boxing champion for winning gold despite the "malicious attacks" against her.