Sports Administration rebuts Trump's claim about boxer Lin Yu-ting's sex

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) Taiwan's Sports Administration has stressed that Olympic gold medalist Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) is a woman in response to false claims by U.S. President Donald Trump about her sex and eligibility to compete.

Hung Chih-chang (洪志昌), deputy director-general of the Sports Administration, reiterated on Thursday that Lin was born female and has always competed in women's competitions, including during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

He added that her sex is a separate issue from that of transgender individuals competing in sports events.

"The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has also firmly affirmed its support on this issue. We hope the public will spread accurate information and help protect athletes from being subjected to abuse," he said.

Hung's statement came after Trump referred to Lin, alongside Imane Khelif of Algeria, while signing his latest executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" on Wednesday (U.S. time).

"Who could forget last year's Paris Olympics, where a male boxer stole the women's gold medal after brutalizing his female opponent so viciously that she had to forfeit just after 46 seconds," Trump said in reference to Khelif, who won the women's 66-kg category.

"Actually, there were two individuals who transitioned, and both convincingly won gold medals," he added, referring to Khelif and Lin, disregarding the fact that the two have never "transitioned" and were both born female.

This issue aside, Trump consistently criticized transgender athletes throughout the Paris Games last year.

Under the newly declared order, which will take effect immediately, "The Secretary of State shall take measures to ensure the IOC revises standards governing Olympic events."

To protect female athletes' interests, the order specifies that "eligibility for participation in women's sports" shall be determined "according to sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction."

Regardless of Trump's stance, it is uncertain if Lin, or any boxer, will compete in Los Angeles because the sport has not yet been included in the 2028 program due to a lack of a governing body recognized by the IOC.

The committee suspended the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2019 and withdrew recognition in 2023, with interim management handling boxing events in Tokyo and Paris. It has indicated that boxing may not return to the Summer Games in 2028 without a credible, universally recognized governing body.

World Boxing, which Taiwan joined after the Paris Games, is expected to succeed the IBA. As of Tuesday, this new organization has 72 member countries.

Mauricio Sulaimán, president of the World Boxing Council, recently declared that "the organization has met the necessary requirements to oversee competitions and secure the future of amateur boxing."

According to InsideTheGames, the IOC is likely to announce its decision on recognizing a governing body by March.