"I Have XX Chromosomes, I'm a Woman!" - Bulgarian Boxer's Defiant Stand After Olympics Quarterfinal Defeat

Svetlana Staneva, the Bulgarian boxer, was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 57-kilogram category at the Paris Olympic Games. Staneva, the reigning European champion from Belgrade 2024 and bronze medalist from the last World Championship in New Delhi 2023, lost to Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, the current Asian champion and top-ranked boxer in Paris, with a score of 0:5 (27:30, 28:29, 28:29, 27:30, 27:30).

Staneva, making her Olympic debut at 34 years old, fought well in the first round against Lin, a two-time world champion from Istanbul 2022 and New Delhi 2018. Lin used unsportsmanlike tactics, including elbows and headbutts, which the Canadian referee did not officially penalize, despite making a few remarks. The ringside judges gave Lin a slight advantage. In the second round, which also appeared evenly matched, all five judges awarded their votes to Lin, effectively deciding the match. In the third round, Staneva launched aggressive attacks, but these did not yield significant results.

The two last met in the quarterfinals of the World Championships in New Delhi in March last year, where Staneva lost with a 2:3 judges' vote. Lin secured the bronze then but was later disqualified by the International Boxing Association for not passing a gender test, awarding the bronze to Staneva. Despite this, Lin was allowed to compete in the women's Olympic tournament.

Immediately after the fight, Staneva, visibly angry, walked past waiting journalists and refused to comment, stating, "I have XX chromosomes, I'm a woman!" and "Check her for chromosomes!" Staneva's frustration was evident, and she did not want to speak further on the matter.