Home > Sports News > Esra Yıldız Kahraman’s gesture leaves its mark on the Olympics: A nod to gender debates

Esra Yıldız Kahraman’s gesture leaves its mark on the Olympics: A nod to gender debates

Our national boxer Esra Yıldız Kahraman won the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after being defeated by her Taiwanese opponent Lin Yu-Ting. Making an 'X' sign after the match, Kahraman made a reference to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and her opponent, Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting, who have been at the center of gender eligibility debates.

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At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, our national boxer Esra Yıldız Kahraman faced Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting in the women's 57kg boxing semi-finals.

Losing the match 5-0, Esra secured the bronze medal she had already guaranteed.

Sharing her thoughts after the match, Esra Yıldız Kahraman stated, "Of course, my goal was the championship. It was a big disappointment for me. Some misfortunes also found me. I felt a bit unwell yesterday. I did everything I could. Of course, it could have been better, I could have performed better. My opponent is already the number one seed, a good opponent. Let's say it was meant to be this way. It was our destiny to win a bronze medal. Of course, this is not the end of the road. There is Los Angeles in 2028. I am still growing right now. I was eliminated in the quarter-finals in Tokyo. I won a bronze medal here. I hope I will win a gold medal in Los Angeles. It is not the end of the road, the journey continues. I would like to thank everyone who supported me and prayed for me. I love you all very much."

A GESTURE THAT LEFT ITS MARK ON THE OLYMPICS

After the match, our national athlete made an "X" sign with her hands in the ring. With this gesture, Kahraman made a reference to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and her opponent, Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting, who are at the center of gender debates.

Kahraman's gesture became a global talking point.

POST FROM MINISTER BAK

Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Bak, who watched the match from the arena, shared a photo of Kahraman making the X sign on social media with the note, "Esra Yıldız Kahraman is an Olympic bronze medalist. You fought wonderfully, Esra, we are proud of you."


WHAT HAD HAPPENED?

It was revealed that boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, who were set to compete in the women's boxing finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, had XY chromosomes in tests conducted.

Imane Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships held in New Delhi by the International Boxing Association (IBA). In a press conference held on Monday, the association announced that it had been decided that both did not meet the criteria for gender chromosome testing.