Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-ting defeated Bulgaria's Svetlana Staneva in a unanimous decision during Sunday's women's boxing quarterfinal on Sunday.
The Bulgarian responded by questioning Lin's gender and eligibility to compete in the 2024 Olympics.
Staneva refused to shake hands with Lin after their bout. Instead, she made an "X" with her fingers and defiantly left the ring.
Lin Yu-ting vs. Svetlana Staneva Olympics 'XX gesture' video
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— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) August 4, 2024
Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting, who was previously found to have XY chromosomes, has defeated Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva 5-0. Lin is now guaranteed a women's Olympic medal.
Following the match, Staneva appears to have made an "XX" gesture at the crowd using her fingers. https://t.co/b1BcdCqMtf pic.twitter.com/Az3qwGQ9Xs
Why Bulgarian boxer made 'XX' gesture after losing to Lin Yu-ting?
Steneva refused to speak to reporters, but the Bulgarian Olympic Committee detailed Staneva's intentions in a Facebook post."Svetlana raised her crossed fingers in front of everyone and pointed to herself, and then in the mixing zone she only stated: 'I have XX chromosomes, I'm a woman!', thus showing her attitude to what was happening in the boxing ring tournament in Paris," the committee wrote.
Lin is one of two boxers — along with Algeria's Imane Khelif — whose participation in the Olympics has come under scrutiny.
MORE: Who is Imane Khelif? What to know about boxer competing at 2024 Olympics
The reason? The International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified them from the 2023 World Championships after the duo failed unspecified gender tests. The two had already competed in the event before their respective disqualifications.
The IBA alleged that DNA tests revealed Lin and Khelif had XY chromosomes, which led to their disqualification from the World Championships. The Russian-led IBA — which was banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019 — has never published the test results.
The IOC has vehemently denied the IBA's claims, with spokesman Mark Adams saying "those tests are not legitimate."
"The whole process is flawed," he added, per the Associated Press. "From the conception of the test, to how the test was shared with us, to how the tests have become public, is so flawed that it’s impossible to engage with it."
Adams also added there was no basis for the test and that "data-sharing of this is also highly against the rules, international rules."
MORE: Why IOC doesn't recognize gender eligibility tests from IBA World Championships
Nonetheless, the IOC's stance has done little to stop alarmism surrounding Lin and Khelif, the latest of which comes from Staneva.
Lin didn't address Staneva's actions after the bout. Instead, the boxer noted a strong desire to win a medal in a sport that Lin originally took up as a defense mechanism against domestic abuse.
"Today is not a period, full stop, but a comma," Lin said, per NBC News. "Our goal hasn’t been achieved yet. So, we cannot give up on any opportunity, I will keep fighting."
Lin also thanked the people of Chinese Taipei for their support during the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Lin's Olympic organizing committee fully condemned the attacks on its boxer in a statement.
"The delegation stands firmly by the athlete with full support," the statement read. "Chinese Taipei Delegation strongly condemns the malicious online abuse and personal attacks and calls for an immediate stop on those behaviors."
