"Despicable and dangerous" - Martina Navratilova slams IOC after controversial boxer Lin Yu-Ting joins Imane Khelif as Paris Olympics gold medalist
Martina Navratilova continued her outrage against Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting's participation at the Paris Olympics. The Algerian and the Chinese Taipei boxers won gold medals in their respective categories, following which the American tennis legend criticized the IOC.
Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after allegedly failing an eligibility test conducted by the IBA (International Boxing Association). Both boxers were allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics under the rules of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
On Friday, August 9, Khelif defeated China's Yang Liu to win the gold medal in the women's 66kg category. Meanwhile, on Saturday, August 10, Lin defeated Poland's Julia Szeremeta to clinch the gold in the women's 57kg category.
Navratilova and others have maintained their claims that both these boxers have unfair advantages over other competitors. Navratilova expressed her outrage following Khelif's triumph and took to X again after Lin won the gold medal.
The 57-year-old reposted a tweet and wrote:
"This is what happens when you let males compete against females. And in boxing in particular- you don’t need any technique, really- because your punch is so much harder than anything coming at you. Despicable. And dangerous"
"What a coincidence" - Martina Navratilova takes a dig at 'watchful' IOC as Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting win Paris Olympics gold medals
Martina Navratilova called it a 'coincidence' that both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting won in their respective categories. She seemingly took a dig at the 'watchful' IOC and wrote,
"What a coincidence that both boxers who were not allowed to compete at IBA events now take the Olympic gold at the Olympics under the “watchful” eye of IOC rules- all comers with the right passport are welcome," Martina Navratilova wrote on X.
Previously, Navratilova called it a 'travesty' that the Algerian boxer was allowed to participate in the Olympics and also win the gold medal. She had again slammed the IOC and wrote:
“Thanks for nothing IOC [International Olympic Committee]. Shame on you. This is a travesty.”
The Algerian opened up about the controversy surrounding her after her gold medal triumph. She maintained that she 'was born a woman', 'lived as a woman', and 'competed as a woman'.