It looks like women are sick of the gender game and its devastating effects on their sports - and their professional careers.
Esra Yildiz Kahraman, a female boxer representing Turkey, became the second contender to protest being forced to box an opponent who failed to meet gender eligibility requirements last year thanks to reportedly having male XY chromosomes, but who was cleared to box in the women’s competition in the Paris Olympics anyway.
After being soundly defeated by Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, one of two boxers at the center of a roiling controversy over allowing men in women’s sports, Kahraman confidently held up her fingers in an “X” as a known reference to female "XX" chromosomes, signaling her anger over being made to box a reported biological male.
Another woman loses her Olympic dream. Another protest. Enough is enough #paris2024 pic.twitter.com/uPRZghPq6W
— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) August 7, 2024
The sign echoed a similar protest from Svetlana Kamenova Staneva of Bulgaria, who also held up an "X" after being knocked out of the competition by Yu-ting last Sunday.
Related: Taiwanese Boxer Who Failed Gender Tests Wins Women's Olympic Match In Paris
Yu-ting, along with Algeria’s Imane Khelif, were both disqualified from the World Championships last year by the International Boxing Association after the organization said tests showed both supposed women had male “XY” chromosomes, giving them an insurmountable physical advantage over biological women. The International Olympic Committee, however, approved both boxers to compete in the women’s category in Paris, saying simply that they met eligibility requirements and that their passports listed them as “female.” Neither the IOC nor either boxer have refuted the reports that they are genetically male or offered proof to the contrary, leading to widespread speculation that they may have some form of DSD - Disorder of Sex Development - that may have caused them to appear female at birth, despite being genetically male.
On Wednesday, Yu-ting cruised to a 5-0 victory over Kahraman, who clearly indicated she thinks the competition was unfair.
Both Yu-Ting (who competes in the featherweight category) and Khelif (who competes as a welterweight) have handily won their matches against the women they’ve faced, and are now set to square off for the gold in their respective categories. Yu-Ting will now face Poland’s Julia Szeremeta for the top spot in the featherweight division.