Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting has secured a spot in Saturday's Olympic women's featherweight final amid ongoing controversy over her eligibility.
Lin and Imane Khelif are competing in Paris despite being disqualified from last year's World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after reportedly failing gender eligibility tests.
After Khelif advanced to the welterweight final on Tuesday, Lin, 28, earned her place in the gold-medal match with a decisive, unanimous decision victory over Esra Yildiz Kahraman.
Following the fight, Kahraman, a 27-year-old from Turkey, made an 'X' symbol with two fingers, similar to the gesture used by Lin's previous opponent, Svetlana Staneva. The gesture was reportedly interpreted as a reference to female XX chromosomes.
Kahraman did not comment to BBC Sport after the match. When asked about the gesture, a member of her team declined to provide an explanation.
Lin will face 20-year-old Polish boxer Julia Atena Szeremeta, who defeated Tokyo silver medallist Nesthy Petecio from the Philippines, in the final.
"I feel very excited and one step closer to my final goal," Lin told BBC Sport.
Lin Yu-ting has won two gold medals at the World Championships but has yet to compete in an Olympic final, having been eliminated in the last 16 by Nesthy Petecio at the Tokyo Games.
At last year's World Championships, Lin reached the semi-finals and secured a bronze medal but was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA). The IBA cited Lin's failure to meet the eligibility criteria for the women's competition as outlined in its regulations.
Despite this, Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who was also disqualified from the same tournament, have been permitted to compete at the Olympics, which is governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC, which suspended the IBA in 2019 due to concerns about its finances, governance, ethics, refereeing, and judging, has strongly supported Lin and Khelif. IOC President Thomas Bach stated there was "never any doubt" about their eligibility as women.
The IOC clarified that competitors are eligible for the women's division if their passports indicate they are female. A chaotic news conference on Monday did little to clarify the IBA's position, as key figures provided conflicting statements about the reasons for the ban.
Khelif will compete for gold against Liu Yang of China on Friday at 21:51 BST. Lin’s bout, opening the final night of boxing at the Paris Olympics, is scheduled for 20:30 on Saturday.
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