Laura Woods receives ‘numerous death threats’ following online comment on Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting’s article

TV presenter Laura Woods has revealed she received “numerous death threats” online after commenting on an article about the eligibility of Olympic boxing champions Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting.

They each won gold in their respective weight classes at Paris 2024, amid heated public debate over their eligibility to compete in the women’s division.

Algeria’s Khelif and Chinese Taipei’s Lin were disqualified from last year’s world championships after failing gender eligibility tests.

Both won gold in Paris after being cleared to compete by the International Olympic Committee.

On Thursday, football presenter Woods commented “excellent article” in response to an article by Oliver Brown of the Telegraph,, external who had written on the subject.

Woods, who works for TNT Sport and was involved in ITV Sport’s coverage of Euro 2024 in Germany, said he had received dozens of hateful messages.

“Since responding to this article, I have received numerous death threats against me and my unborn child,” Woods said on X, external.

“Questions about my own gender (I’m pregnant, so that clarifies that), calls for my dismissal from my employers, threats to my home.

“When there are discrepancies in test results – which could impact the safety of another human being, in an environment that should first and foremost be fair – questions are going to be rightly asked.

“The answers are not yet clear, otherwise this topic would be closed.”

Khelif and Lin were disqualified by the Russian-run International Boxing Association (IBA) at last year’s World Championships.

The IBA said Khelif and Lin “did not meet the eligibility criteria to participate in the women’s competition, as defined and described in the IBA regulations.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which organized the boxing events at the Olympic Games, allowed them to compete.

He cast doubt on the tests and sharply criticized the IBA, insisting that Khelif and Lin were “born and raised as women.”

President Thomas Bach said last week that the IOC “does not like uncertainty” but suggested there is no “scientifically sound system” to “identify men and women”.

Khelif said she had been the victim of “harassment” and that the IBA “hates me and I really don’t know why”.

Since winning Olympic gold, the 25-year-old has filed a complaint over alleged cyberbullying during the Paris Games, which reportedly names author JK Rowling and X owner Elon Musk.