Unveiling Cyberbullying Targeting Lin Yu-Ting During Paris Olympics
Taiwanese boxing athlete Lin Yu-Ting is gearing up to represent Chinese Taipei in pursuit of the country’s first-ever gold medal in boxing at the Olympics. However, off the field, a gender controversy continues to escalate. The Sports Bureau released a statement on the 9th reiterating that they conducted an immediate check on Lin Yu-Ting’s eligibility after her bronze medal at the World Championships last year was revoked. They confirmed that there were no issues with her eligibility for participation, and they planned to discuss further actions against the International Boxing Association (IBA) with the athlete, lawyers, and the International Olympic Committee.
Looking back at the whole incident, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling sparked controversy on July 31 with a post on social media questioning Lin Yu-Ting’s gender. Despite immediate endorsement of Lin Yu-Ting’s eligibility by the International Olympic Committee, J.K. Rowling continued to attack the athlete. However, at the IBA press conference on August 5, no substantial evidence was presented regarding the gender controversy, frustrating international media. Furthermore, social media platforms were flooded with criticism towards Lin Yu-Ting and Algerian boxer Halif, marked with hashtags like “#SaveWomensSports” and “#XX,” containing discriminatory and derogatory language, turning it into a major cyberbullying event.
The Taiwan Policy Research Center conducted an investigation through the QuickseeK sentiment analysis database, revealing that J.K. Rowling’s continued social media posts ignited heated discussions among Taiwanese netizens. Since J.K. Rowling’s initial post, discussions surrounding the gender controversy of Lin Yu-Ting have seen daily peaks of 6,200, 18,000, and 20,000 mentions, with daily trending topics mostly revolving around J.K. Rowling’s comments, showing her significant influence on the online discourse.
On August 5, during the IBA press conference, the following day, the Sports Bureau retaliated, hinting at potential legal action against the IBA. Many netizens expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the IBA’s statements and took to social media to publish English articles, aiming to communicate with the international community. As a result, the topic continues to gain traction, with increasing intensity.
However, it is crucial to note that despite the Sports Bureau’s response to the IBA on the 6th, indicating they had issued a warning letter through lawyers, and President Lai Ching-te instructing the Sports Bureau to express formal protests, the daily mentions were only slightly over 8,000. Comparatively, J.K. Rowling’s bullying remarks have been widely disseminated across foreign social media platforms, filled with various discriminatory and oppressive comments towards Taiwanese athletes. The official response from Taiwan has been lacking, failing to actively clarify with the international community, leading to an inability to counterbalance the discourse against J.K. Rowling and the IBA.
In fact, the incident began fermenting on the internet at the end of July, but several days later, the Sports Bureau issued a statement hinting at potential legal actions, drawing criticism for their delayed response. Many netizens were infuriated and criticized the slow reaction, resulting in a skewed public opinion against Lin Yu-Ting.
Political Response and Public Outcry
In contrast to the sluggish response of official agencies to the gender controversy, political figures have been actively voicing support for Lin Yu-Ting since the onset of the incident. According to online data statistics, Green Party politicians collectively issued up to 92 posts supporting the Taiwanese athlete, generating over 370,000 interactions. Blue Party politicians also contributed with 15 posts, creating 31,000 interactions. Former President Tsai Ing-wen was among the first to voice support on August 2, garnering over 40,000 interactions. Vice President Lai Ching-te also published relevant articles on the same day, with interactions reaching around 27,000, and later increased to approximately 33,000 interactions two days later.
However, despite the overwhelming support from political figures domestically, the official response to the prevailing cyberbullying and discriminatory narrative from international netizens has been lacking. The slow reaction and absence of strong demands from representatives raise questions about the sincerity of the social media posts supporting the athlete.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has long emphasized “Taiwan Seen by the World” and “Standing Together with the World and Taiwan” as key promotional themes. However, faced with the negative influence of the IBA and J.K. Rowling in shaping malicious online narratives, which have turned into a massive cyberbullying scene, the official response has been disappointing. There has been a failure to promptly express protests, correct misinformation, engage with the international community, seek support for international opinions, and take proactive measures to refute defamation.
It’s no wonder that many netizens are frustrated, condemning the Sports Bureau and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee for dragging their feet and being reactive rather than proactive, merely offering token support online without providing substantial assistance to the athlete.
