Laura Woods Gets Death Threats Over Boxing Comments

Laura Woods, the TV presenter has disclosed receiving numerous death threats online after commenting on the eligibility of Olympic champion boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting. Both athletes won gold medals in their respective weight classes at the Paris 2024 Olympics, sparking controversy over their eligibility to compete in the women’s division. Khelif from Algeria and Lin from Chinese Taipei had been disqualified from the previous year’s World Championships due to reported failures in gender eligibility tests.

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared them to compete in the Olympics, leading to their gold medal wins.  Woods, who works for TNT Sport and contributed to ITV Sport’s Euro 2024 coverage, responded to a Telegraph article by Oliver Brown about the eligibility debate with a “great article” comment. Since then, she has received a barrage of threatening messages including death threats targeting her and her unborn child.

In her posts on X (formerly Twitter), Laura Woods expressed shock at the threats and discussed the backlash including questions about her gender and calls for her dismissal from her job. She emphasized that the controversy arises from unresolved questions about the athletes’ eligibility, which the IOC has not fully clarified. Woods stressed the importance of fairness and transparency in such matters.

The International Boxing Association (IBA) had previously disqualified Khelif and Lin, citing non-compliance with their eligibility criteria for women’s competition. However, the IOC permitted their participation, criticized the IBA and pointed out problems with the current tests. IOC President Thomas Bach admitted that there is no scientifically reliable method to differentiate genders in sports.

Following her Olympic success, Khelif has faced cyberbullying and filed a lawsuit naming notable figures, including author J.K. Rowling and X owner Elon Musk.