site.btaBulgarian Boxer Svetlana Kamenova Eliminated in Quarterfinals of Women's 57kg Category in Paris Olympics

Bulgaria's Svetlana Kamenova was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the women's boxing 57kg category at the Paris Olympics. 

Kamenova, who is European champion from Belgrade 2024 and bronze medallist from the last World Championships in New Delhi 2023, lost by 0:5 (27:30, 28:29, 28:29, 27:30, 27:30) judges' votes to the reigning Asian Games champion Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan.

Immediately after the match, Kamenova was congratulated by Bulgarian Olympic Committee President Stefka Kostadinova, who watched it from the stands.

The Bulgarian looked very angry after the fight and did not want to comment anything. She walked past the waiting journalists and said "Test her chromosomes".

Borislav Georgiev, the coach of the Bulgarian women's national boxing team appeared after the match in front of journalists holding a sign that reads: "I am XX. Save women's sport', referring to the fact that women have two X-chromosomes and men have an X- and Y-chromosome.  

"I'm speechless. I think we got robbed in that match," Georgiev said, criticizing Lin's lack of fair play and for hitting Kamenova with an elbow in the mouth. "They're resolved to make them [referring to Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif] champions and that's that," he said.

Lin Yu-ting is one of the two athletes, along with Algeria's Imane Khelif, caught in a gender eligibility controversy. Lin was disqualified from the 2023 Women's World Boxing Championships, organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after failing gender eligibility tests. Back then, the Taiwanese boxer was stripped of a bronze medal, which was instead awarded to Svetlana Staneva. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) criticized the disqualification as "sudden and arbitrary" and taken "without any due process. The Russia-led IBA did not reveal the testing methodology, stating the "specifics remain confidential. IOC President Thomas Bach defended the participation of Khelif and Lin.

Upon her return to Taiwan, Lin underwent additional tests that confirmed her eligibility.

The Bulgarian  Youth and Sports Ministry has expressed concern about "the unprecedented situation boxing has been faced with at the Paris Olympic Games" which directly affects Bulgaria. The  Ministry said last Friday that the ambiguity regarding the eligibility rules for participating in the women's boxing tournament in the Paris 2024 Olympics is a breeding ground for doubts and protests.

Last week, the Bulgarian Olympic Committee also expressed gender equality concerns.