Taiwanese rally behind 'brave' boxer Lin at center of gender brawl

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Sports fans at a Taipei bar burst into applause when Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting was declared winner in her opening Olympic bout -- a victory that comes as controversy around her gender stirs heated debate.

Lin and Algerian Imane Khelif are at the center of a global row over their participation in the Paris Olympics after previously being disqualified from an international competition for unspecified "eligibility criteria", prompting some to claim they were men, or transgender, fighting in divisions for women.

The furor was fueled by reactions from US presidential candidate Donald Trump, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and a host of commentators following Khelif's victory over an Italian opponent on Thursday.

Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the 2023 world championships in New Delhi, but both competed in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago and were cleared to fight in Paris.

In Taiwan, the controversy has led to even more support for the sport and for Lin.

"She hasn't done anything wrong, that's the way she is -- it's unnecessary to attack her appearance," said computer engineer Hannah Huang, who spent her Friday evening cheering for Lin at Taipei sports bar.

Her friend Tracy Wu, who confessed that she does not watch boxing but has followed the controversy, attributed the online hate to Lin being the top seed.

"Everyone feels particularly threatened by her, so that may be why they attack her," Wu said.

Olympic committee spokesman Mark Adams warned against turning the row into a "witch-hunt".

"I should make this absolutely clear to everyone: this is not a transgender issue. These women have been competing in competitions for many years," said Adams.

"This involves real people and we're talking about real people's lives here."

Before her match with Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova, Lin brushed off the controversy, saying that she was "adjusting her mentality".

"I take it that my opponents may be afraid of my strength, so they just find fault and make a fuss about it. In fact, it will only make me feel that they are more afraid of me, and I will only perform better in the ring," Lin told a local TV channel.

- 'No easy feat' -

In the end, Lin beat Turdibekova with finesse rather than power, using her reach to score with jabs and sidestepping the Uzebk's attempts to make the fight a close-quarters brawl.

Spectator Wu praised Lin's "positive" mindset, adding that the young fighter had picked up the sport to shield her mother from an abusive father.

"She wanted to learn boxing to protect her mother, I don't think there should be any question about her gender... I think she is very brave," Wu told AFP.

She added that she was "disappointed" in Harry Potter author Rowling.

"She made our childhood... Sharing reports like that, verified reports, it's just disappointing," Wu said.

The online brawl has even united Taiwan's two political rival camps.

President Lai Ching-te called for the island to "stand united and cheer for her", while New Taipei City mayor Hou Yu-ih -- a prominent politician hailing from the opposition Kuomintang party -- said "we all stand by her side without a doubt".

Connor Wang and his friends boisterously cheered Lin on, as they watched the match projected on a large screen.

"A Taiwanese boxer at an international stage like this is no easy feat... I think it's quite incredible," the 35-year-old insurance worker told AFP.

As for the controversy over Lin's eligibility, Wang shrugged it off.

"I don't think there's really anything to debate about."