World Boxing president apologizes for unclear gender policies

Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) World Boxing (WB) President Boris van der Vorst on Saturday apologized for the federation's lack of clear policies regarding gender testing and standards, which resulted in the withdrawal of Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) from a boxing event it organized, according to Taiwan's Sports Administration (SA).

Van der Vorst met with SA Deputy Director-General Fang Jui-wen (房瑞文), Chinese Taipei Boxing Association Secretary-General Peng Chun-ming (彭俊銘) and Lin's coach Tseng Tzu-chiang (曾自強) before the day's competition started in England, apologizing and expressing regret that Lin could not participate in the event, the SA said.

He promised to form a working group with experts in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to improve gender testing policies and standards, the SA added. 

Lin was in Sheffield, England for the World Boxing Cup Finals hosted by the WB, but withdrew from the event on Wednesday after her eligibility was questioned by the organizers.

The decision to withdraw was made by Fang, Peng and Tseng, who traveled to the United Kingdom with Lin, according to an earlier news statement by the SA.

"The newly established World Boxing does not have a clear policy and rules like the IOC to protect athletes, nor comprehensive information or procedures to ensure confidentiality for us to submit Lin's medical records," SA Director-General Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠) said at the time.

The SA added that the WB had rejected a proposal for Lin to undergo a medical check in Sheffield.

Lin, the gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics women's boxing 57-kilogram category, was disqualified over gender eligibility after winning a bronze at the 2023 International Boxing Association's (IBA) World Boxing Championships.

The IOC had suspended IBA as the sport's recognized governing body for its lack of reforms and transparency in 2019.

During the 2024 Paris Olympics, the IOC organized the boxing event itself. Meanwhile, the IBA continued to raise questions about Lin's gender, even after Lin won her gold medal.