Laura Woods feared being cancelled over biological | Boxing News

Laura Woods could not fathom her fears of being cancelled when wading into the gender row that engulfed the 2024 Olympic Games. It was the participation and subsequent gold medal gained by Algeria’s Imane Khelif in the girls’s welterweight boxing division in Paris last 12 months that got here under the global highlight. 

The 26-year-old, alongside China’s Lin Yu-ting, had been disqualified from the World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) – a Russian-backed and discredited world governing physique – a 12 months prior after claiming that her blood check findings proved her ineligibility to compete against females. However, the organisation failed to present any documented evidence concerning the outcomes. The assessments have been then ruled to not be credible by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which cleared the pair to compete at the Games.

The TNT Sports presenter took to social media in the midst of the controversy, brazenly praising a Telegraph article that claimed biological girls have been put in hurt’s method by the IOC’s determination by permitting Khelif – who has beforehand been incorrectly labelled as transgender – and Lin to compete in Paris. Over a 12 months since her co-sign of the printed piece, she spoke to the newspaper and revealed she feared talking out would have led to her being cancelled.

Woods, 38, said: “I remember just almost screaming internally, because I felt there was such an injustice going on in front of our eyes. I was so angry that everyone who wanted to talk about it openly was gaslighted into thinking that what they were saying was wrong.

“It still annoys me now, because there was so a lot sympathy given to Khelif, and such a lack of it to the ladies around that athlete. It felt so disproportionate. I couldn’t imagine that even questioning it out loud was worthy of cancellation.”

Since Khelif’s victory over Yang Liu in last year’s final, the Algerian has pledged to compete at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles despite President Donald Trump promising to ban men from competing in women’s sports. The US leader even falsely implied that Khelif was born a male, which prompted a response from the boxer earlier this year.

Speaking to ITV Sport, Khelif said: “The US President issued a determination associated to transgender insurance policies in America. I’m not transgender. This doesn’t concern me, and it doesn’t intimidate me. That is my response.” She admitted the scrutiny she faced last year left a mental and emotional toll on her.

“I was deeply affected mentally and felt discouraged, but I remained aware of what was happening,” she added. “Even during the Paris Olympics, I had a team of specialist doctors who provided me with support and assistance. Without their support, I might have fallen into a spiral of depression.”