Unboxing the Lin Yu-ting Controversy
What does science and law say about the Taiwanese Olympic champion? 🥊
Idiom of the week: 画上句号 (huà shàng jù hào)
Meaning: to put an end to (lit. to draw a period)
巴黎奥运的闭幕，并没有给这一争议画上句号。The conclusion of the Paris Olympics has not put an end to this controversy.
Lin Yu-ting. Photo: espn.com
The 2024 Olympics in Paris are now over, but not without controversies. As Taiwan celebrates it’s first ever Gold medal in boxing, Lin Yu-ting’s (林郁婷) victory - just like that of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif - has spurred debates about their gender.
Let’s read about the science of chromosomes and hormones… in Chinese!
来自台湾的林郁婷和阿尔及利亚的凯莉芙 (Kǎi lì fú, Imane Khelif) 在巴黎奥运会拳击台上双双夺得金牌，再次引发性别争议运动员是否符合女子比赛参赛资格的全球关注。巴黎奥运的闭幕，并没有给这一争议画上句号。
阿尔及利亚 (Ā ěr jí lì yǎ): Algeria
拳击台 (quán jī tái): boxing ring
金牌 (jīn pái): gold medal
参赛资格 (cān sài zī gé): eligibility to compete
闭幕 (bì mù): closing (of an event)
画上句号 (huà shàng jù hào): to put an end to
Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan and Imane Khelif from Algeria both won gold medals on the boxing stage at the Paris Olympics, once again sparking global attention on the gender controversy regarding whether these athletes qualify to compete in women's events. The conclusion of the sporting event has not put an end to this controversy.
她们如何能在奥运夺金却不能参加世锦赛？世界拳击锦标赛由俄罗斯人担任掌门人的国际拳击总会（IBA）主办，该组织剥夺了上述两名拳手的参赛资格，据称原因是根据一些教练的投诉而进行「性别测试」后，她们不满足「参赛资格标凖」。
夺金 (duó jīn): win a gold medal
世锦赛 (shì jǐn sài): World Championship (specifically, 世界拳击锦标赛: World Boxing Championships)
掌门人 (zhǎngménrén): leader, head (of an organization)
国际拳击总会 (guó jì quán jī zǒng huì): International Boxing Association (IBA)
剥夺 (bō duó): to deprive, strip away
拳手 (quán shǒu): boxer, fighter
投诉 (tóu sù): complaint
性别测试 (xìng bié cè shì): gender testing
How could they win gold at the Olympics but not participate in the World Championships? The World Boxing Championships are organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which is led by a Russian official. This organization has disqualified the two boxers from participating, reportedly after a 'gender test' was conducted following complaints from some coaches, and they were found not to meet the 'eligibility standards'.
Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting. Photo: today.com
该组织随后表示她们被测出了XY染色体，主席克列姆列夫（(Kè liè mǔ liè fū, Umar Kremlev）说检测结果显示「两人是男性」。林郁婷没有对此做出上诉。凯莉芙一度上诉至国际体育仲裁法庭（Court of Arbitration for Sport），但此后撤诉。
染色体 (rǎn sè tǐ): chromosome
上诉 (shàng sù): appeal
国际体育仲裁法庭 (guó jì tǐ yù zhòng cái fǎ tíng) - Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
仲裁 (zhòng cái): arbitration
撤诉 (chè sù): withdraw an appeal
The organization later stated that they tested positive for XY chromosomes. President Umar Kremlev said the test results indicated that 'the two are male.' Lin Yu-ting did not appeal this decision. Imane Khelif initially appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but later withdrew her appeal.
国际奥委员（IOC）2019年以廉洁和治理方面的原因暂停了IBA组织参加奥运会的资格，随后以其改革失败为由剥夺了它的官方地位。 IBA还因为允许俄罗斯运动员参加世锦赛违反了国际奥委会的指引。
国际奥委会 (guó jì ào wěi huì) : International Olympic Committee (IOC)
廉洁 (lián jié): integrity
治理 (zhì lǐ): governance
暂停 (zàn tíng): suspend
改革失败 (gǎi gé shī bài): failure of reforms
官方地位 (guān fāng dì wèi): official status
违反 (wéi fǎn): violate
指引 (zhǐ yǐn): guidelines, directives
In 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the IBA's qualification to participate in the Olympics due to issues related to integrity and governance. Later, the IOC stripped the IBA of its official status for failing to implement necessary reforms. The IBA also violated IOC guidelines by allowing Russian athletes to participate in the World Championships.
这些纷争导致国际奥委会自行组织举办了东京和巴黎奥运的拳击比赛，而它在参赛资格方面的要求相对宽松。
纷争 (fēn zhēng): dispute, contention
相对 (xiāng duì): relatively, comparatively
宽松 (kuān sōng): lenient, relaxed
These disputes led the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to organize the boxing competitions for the Tokyo and Paris Olympics on its own, with relatively more lenient qualification requirements.
2021年，国际奥委会新指引要求单项体联各自制订参赛标凖，从而改变了此前基于睾酮（Testosterone）水平的统一政策。
单项体联 (dān xiàng tǐ lián) - individual sports federations
制订 (zhì dìng): formulate, establish
参赛标准 (cān sài biāo zhǔn): competition standards
基于 (jī yú): based on
睾酮 (gāo tóng): Testosterone
统一政策 (tǒng yī zhèng cè): unified policy
In 2021, new IOC guidelines required individual sports federations to establish their own eligibility criteria, thereby changing the previous uniform policy based on testosterone levels.
由于与国际拳总的争论，以及围绕林郁婷和凯莉芙的争议，国际奥委会正面临巨大压力，要求其在女子性别认定上实施更严格的标凖，保证公平和安全。
围绕 (wéi rào): surrounding, concerning
巨大压力 (jù dà yā lì): huge pressure
实施 (shí shī): implement, enforce
保证 (bǎo zhèng): ensure, guarantee
Due to the ongoing disputes with the International Boxing Association and the controversy surrounding Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif, the IOC is under significant pressure to implement stricter standards for gender determination in women's sports to ensure fairness and safety.
随着一些单项体联近年来收紧性别认定标凖，禁止跨性别女性参加女性精英赛事，并且坚持让「性发育差异」（DSD）运动员通过医疗手段降低睾酮水平之后，国际奥委会承受的压力更大了。目前没有证据表明林郁婷和凯莉芙为跨性别人士。
收紧 (shōu jǐn): tighten, tighten up
性别认定 (xìng bié rèn dìng): gender determination
跨性别女性 (kuà xìng bié nǚ xìng): transgender women
精英赛事 (jīng yīng sài shì): elite competitions
性发育差异 (xìng fā yù chā yì): differences in sex development (DSD)
医疗手段 (yī liáo shǒu duàn): medical means, medical methods
降低 (jiàng dī): reduce, lower
睾酮水平 (gāo tóng shuǐ píng): testosterone levels
证据 (zhèng jù): evidence
跨性别人士 (kuà xìng bié rén shì): transgender individuals
In recent years, as some sports federations have tightened their gender eligibility standards, banning transgender women from participating in elite women's events and requiring athletes with differences in sex development (DSD) to lower their testosterone levels through medical means, the pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has increased. Currently, there is no evidence that Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif are transgender individuals.
DSD泛指一组约40种涉及基因、激素和生殖器官在子宫中发育与多数人不同的情况。换言之，这意味着DSD个人的性别发育与多数人不同。
泛指 (fàn zhǐ): general term, refers to
涉及 (shè jí): involve, pertain to
基因 (jī yīn): genes
激素 (jī sù): hormones
生殖器官 (shēng zhí qì guān): reproductive organs
子宫 (zǐ gōng): uterus
发育 (fā yù): development
DSD refers to a group of approximately 40 conditions where genes, hormones, and reproductive organs develop differently in the womb compared to the majority of people. In other words, this means that the sexual development of individuals with DSD differs from that of most people.
国际奥委会的拳击参赛标凖规则没有跟上其它项目的步伐。它在1999年停止了染色体性别测试，似乎也不愿意改变规则，部分原因是出于污名化他人的担忧，它还表示「每个人都有不受歧视地参与体育的权力」。
跟上 (gēn shàng): keep up with
步伐 (bù fá): pace, steps
染色体性别测试 (rǎn sè tǐ xìng bié cè shì): chromosome sex testing
污名化 (wū míng huà): stigmatize
不受歧视 (bù shòu qí shì): free from discrimination
The IOC’s boxing eligibility standards have not kept pace with other sports. The IOC stopped chromosome-based gender testing in 1999 and seems reluctant to change its rules, partly out of concern for stigmatizing others. The IOC has also stated that 'everyone has the right to participate in sports without discrimination.’
国际奥委会主席巴赫 (Bā hè) 说，「这并不像有些人试图描绘的那么简单——通过XX染色体和XY染色体就能清楚地分辨男性和女性。从科学上讲不再如此。」
并不像 (bìng bù xiàng): not as (simple) as
描绘 (miáo huì): depict, portray
不再 (bù zài): no longer
IOC President Thomas Bach said, 'It’s not as simple as some people try to portray it—clearly distinguishing between men and women based on XX and XY chromosomes. Scientifically, this is no longer the case.'
但他也说，「如果有人能给出在科学上有力的分辨男女的系统方法，我们会率先尝试。我们不喜欢不确定性，因此非常乐于去尝试它。」
有力的 (yǒu lì de): effective, powerful
系统方法 (xì tǒng fāng fǎ): systematic method
率先尝试 (luò xiān cháng shì): take the lead in trying
乐于 (lè yú): willing to, be happy to
However, he also said, 'If someone could provide a scientifically robust system to differentiate between men and women, we would be the first to try it. We don’t like uncertainty, so we would be very willing to test it.'
国际奥委会一位发言人也表示，这「并非黑与白的问题」。
An IOC spokesperson also commented that this is 'not a black-and-white issue.'
And what do you think about the issue?
Antoine & Dorota
