Laura Woods has opened up about the death threats she and her unborn child received on social media after she was weighed in on the Olympic boxing gender rite of passage earlier this week.
The popular sports presenter sparked a massive debate when she responded to The Telegraph’s Oliver Brown’s article about women’s boxing gold medalists Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting.
Khelif of Algeria, a welterweight fighter, and Lin of Taiwan, a featherweight, were banned from last year’s IBA Women’s World Championships because they did not meet the eligibility requirements, but they were both allowed to compete in Paris this summer.
Woods responded to the article, which raised concerns about the protection of female athletes, by writing, “Great article Oli,” followed by an applause emoji.
The 37-year-old pregnant woman has since revealed via X that she has received several death threats aimed at her unborn baby.
Laura Woods says social media users have sent death threats to her unborn child
She took to social media app X to share the abuse she’s received after wading into Olympic boxing’s gender row
Woods also hit out at another user on X (formerly Twitter) about the issue
“After responding to this article, I have received numerous death threats against myself and my unborn child,” wrote the TNT Sports host. “Questions about my own gender (I’m pregnant so I guess that clears it up) demands from my employers to fire me, threats against my home.
In July, Woods revealed she was expecting her first child with former Love Island star Adam Collard.
In addition to the threats directed at his family, Woods said he received several other strongly worded messages.
He added: “I’ve been called a racist, a bigot and a sexist and various insults – ****, s**g etc.
‘I have also been asked why I have not raised concerns about this issue before? See your answer above.
“When there are inconsistencies in test results – which can affect the safety of another person in an environment that should above all be fair – questions are rightly asked. The answers are still unclear, otherwise this topic would be closed.’
Woods’ initial response to the Telegraph article sparked a massive debate in his comments section
Imane Khelif won gold in the women’s middleweight division at the Paris Olympics this year
Lin Yu-ting also won the women’s boxing gold medal at this summer’s Paris Olympics
Woods revealed in July that she is expecting her first child with Love Island star Adam Collard
After the first post praising the article written by Brown, Wooods received a backlash in the comments section.
Many fans took aim at Woods, and the host applauded several of them as he answered questions.
One fan responded: “That’s a terrible article, wtf?” Then Woods came back saying, “What’s so terrible about that? Especially.’
Another X-user also took aim at Woods: “Actually it’s not, do a little more research!” But he answered, “What part?”
Woods also responded to another user on the social media platform, writing: “Hi Jodie. No – I’ll answer the question clearly for those who question my gender, but if you want me to take a sex test too, I’d love to?
– IBA does not say that I failed two sex tests. If they were, I would complain and sue them.
Khelif and Lin were criticized throughout the Olympics for their participation in the Paris Games.
The International Boxing Federation, which prevented the pair from fighting at the World Championships, has since been banned, with the International Olympic Committee taking over the boxing events at the Games instead.
After the protests, Khelif has since filed a lawsuit against the French authorities alleging gross cyber harassment.
After winning gold in Paris, the Algerian fighter had a message for those who raised serious concerns about his participation in the competition.
‘I am a woman like all other women. I was born a woman, I lived as a woman, I raced as a woman – there’s no doubt about it,” she said.
– Of course, there are enemies of success. This gives my success a special flavor because of these attacks.
“I want to tell the world that they should commit to the Olympic principles and not bully people.
– This is the message of the Olympics. I hope people stop bullying. We are at the Olympics to perform as athletes for our families. I hope so [we] will not see similar attacks in the future.
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