Julia Szeremeta returned from the Paris Olympics with a silver medal - the first Olympic medal for Polish boxing since 1992. In the final of the 57 kg competition, the Polish boxer lost unanimously on points to Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting. The match had been generating a lot of emotions long before it even started.
This was due to the controversy surrounding Yu-Ting's gender tests. The tests, conducted at the request of the International Boxing Association (IBA), revealed the presence of XY chromosomes, which raised doubts about the Taiwanese boxer's gender. However, the International Olympic Committee ruled that it wasn't the results but the tests themselves, carried out by the IBA, that were unreliable and allowed the athlete to compete in Paris.
Memes on Julia Szeremeta’s Instagram
Before the final between the Polish and Taiwanese boxers, memes related to the gender controversy surrounding Yu-Ting were posted on Szeremeta’s Instagram account. One of them read, "To win gold, I still need to beat up a guy".
Tomasz Śniedziewski, a Polish journalist living in Taiwan, explained to Sport.pl how Taiwanese people reacted to Szeremeta’s social media posts. "Every statement made by Julia Szeremeta was followed closely in Taiwan. Everyone was talking about it and getting emotional. When the memes appeared on the Polish boxer’s account, the media immediately took note," said Śniedziewski.
After the final, Szeremeta explained to Polish journalists that she wasn’t the one who posted the memes. Her trainer, Tomasz Dylak, confirmed this in an interview with Interia.
On one hand, it was my mistake because I told Julka to stay away from social media. Her friend took over, posting things for her. And as a result, without checking what was being shared, everything got posted. When I saw what was up, it was deleted within half an hour
- he said.
Taiwanese quickly noticed it
How was this explanation received in Taiwan?
When Ms. Julia explained that she wasn’t managing her own social media accounts, the Taiwanese pretty much accepted it, breathed a sigh of relief, and focused on the final. There was no anger, maybe some initial disappointment, but the mood quickly changed
- the Polish journalist added.
It’s not surprising that Lin Yu-Ting’s compatriots quickly picked up on the controversial content on Szeremeta’s Instagram. According to our interviewee, all of Taiwan was following their athlete's Olympic journey.
It was incredible, especially considering the time difference meant her fights were in the middle of the night. In New Taipei, Lin's hometown, there were public screenings on a big screen with her mother in attendance. Her fights caught the attention of everyone, including the president, former president, and politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties. Everyone was united in supporting Lin
- Śniedziewski said and added:
"The final match against Julia Szeremeta was a major social event - it seemed even bigger in Taiwan than in Poland, where attention was also focused on volleyball players and other athletes. Taiwan was completely engrossed in Lin's performance during the Olympics.
Taiwan won seven medals at the Paris Olympics: two gold and five bronze. They ranked 35th in the medal standings, while Poland, with 10 medals - but only one gold from Aleksandra Miroslaw in climbing - placed 42nd.
