TV presenter Laura Woods has disclosed that she received “numerous death threats” online after commenting on an article regarding the eligibility of Olympic boxing champions Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting.
Both athletes won gold medals in their respective weight divisions at the Paris 2024 Olympics amid a heated public debate about their eligibility to compete in the women’s division.
Khelif, from Algeria, and Lin, from Chinese Taipei, were disqualified from last year’s World Championships after reportedly failing gender eligibility tests. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared them to compete, and they went on to win gold in Paris.
On Thursday, Woods commented “great article” in response to a post by Oliver Brown from the Telegraph about the issue. Following her comment, Woods, who works for TNT Sport and covered Euro 2024 for ITV Sport, reported receiving a barrage of hateful messages.
“Since I replied to this article, I’ve received numerous death threats directed at me and my unborn child,” Woods shared on X. “I’ve faced questions about my own gender (I’m pregnant, so that should clarify things), calls for my employers to terminate my contract, and threats to my home.”
Since I replied to this article I’ve had numerous death threats to myself and my unborn child. Questions on my own gender (I’m pregnant so guess that clears that one up 😂) calls for my employers to sack me, threats to my home. I’ve been called a racist, a bigot and a sexist as… https://t.co/Rsh9MLPd30
— Laura Woods (@laura_woodsy) August 15, 2024
Advertisement
Woods emphasized the importance of addressing discrepancies in test results, stating, “When there are issues with test results that could affect someone’s safety in an environment that should be fair, it’s natural for questions to arise. The answers remain unclear, or this topic would already be resolved.”
The Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified Khelif and Lin for not meeting the eligibility criteria for women’s competition. The IOC, which oversaw the boxing events at the Olympics, allowed them to compete, raising concerns about the tests and criticizing the IBA, asserting that Khelif and Lin were “born and raised as women.”
Khelif has described herself as a victim of “bullying,” stating, “The IBA hates me, and I really don’t know why.” Since winning Olympic gold, the 25-year-old has filed a lawsuit over alleged cyberbullying during the Paris Games, reportedly naming author J.K. Rowling and X owner Elon Musk in the suit.
