A female boxer went viral online after making an “XX” chromosome gesture following a loss in her boxing match this Sunday.
The 2024 Olympic Games have been a topic of discussion due to the controversy surrounding the women’s boxing competition, with Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting facing accusations of being transgender competitors, having both been disqualified from the World Championships last year.
Yu-Ting beat Bulgarian Svetlana Staneva in a quarterfinal matchup on Sunday, and the latter suggested that she had fought a man after the loss, refusing the offer of a handshake and then making an “XX” gesture to the crowd.
“Lin Yu-Ting, who failed a sex test ahead of the World Cup but fights at the Olympics, just defeated Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva,” a user posted to X/Twitter, showing a video of Staneva making the gesture. “After her defeat, she refused to shake hands and made an “X” with her fingers to signal that she has XX chromosomes.”
BREAKING:
Lin Yu-Ting, who failed a sex test ahead of the World Cup but fights at the Olympics, just defeated Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva.
After her defeat, she refused to shake hands and made an “X” with her fingers to signal that she has XX chromosomes pic.twitter.com/LfuDWVlcbT
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 4, 2024
Svetlana Staneva’s Coach Had An Angry Reaction To Her Loss
Svetlana Staneva’s coach, Borislav Georgiev, reacted angrily after the loss, slamming what he described as a “circus act.”
“You could see that the representative of Taiwan did not want to fight, she was running all the time, she was playing dirty as hell, the very first round was for an official warning for an elbow,” he told reporters after the loss, per Reuters.
“And these circus acts, when she fell … In general, I am indignant at the funfair that is taking place. They have decided to make them champions and that’s it.
“I expected it, but I hope there are reasonable and honest people who will watch the game and support women’s sports.”
Lin Yu-Ting is now set to fight Esra Yildiz of Turkey in a semifinal on Tuesday.
Khelif, meanwhile, will face Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng after defeating Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori.
Both of them are guaranteed Olympic medals, having made it to the semis.
