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The French women’s team have been barred from the boxing world championships because the results of their gender tests were not delivered on time, the French Federation (FFBoxe) said Thursday.
World Boxing said last month that women wanting to compete in the event in Liverpool that starts on Thursday would have to undergo mandatory genetic sex testing under its new policy.
Such tests have been banned in France since a law was passed in 1994, except under strict conditions, so the French federation had to wait till they reached England in order to proceed with them.
The five-member team underwent testing in a World Boxing-accredited laboratory with the understanding, FFBoxe said, the results would be available before the deadline.
World Boxing, in a statement sent to AFP, laid the blame firmly at the door of the respective national federations.
“Since World Boxing first announced… its intention to introduce mandatory sex testing to determine the chromosomal sex of a male or female at birth, the organisation has made it clear that testing will be the responsibility of National Federations (NFs),” read the statement.
“They have the closest links and most access to their boxers and are best placed to manage the testing process.
“They also oversee the entry process for boxers, so they know which boxers need to be tested and when.
“It is very disappointing for the boxers that some National Federations have not been able to complete this process in time which means that some athletes have not made it through the sports entry process for the World Boxing Championships.”
French Sports Minister Marie Barsacq slammed the decision as “inadmissible” and FFBoxe were left seething over the decision.
“It is with stupefaction and indignation that the French team learned on Wednesday evening the French women’s boxing team would not be able to compete in the first world championships organised by World Boxing,” FFBoxe said in a statement.
“Despite guarantees given to us by World Boxing, the laboratory which they recommended to us was not up to the task of delivering the results on time.
“As a result our athletes as well as those from other countries have been caught in this trap and excluded.”
Maelys Richol, one of the five French boxers affected, said she felt “frustration, anger and disappointment”.
Under World Boxing’s policy, fighters over 18 who want to participate in their competitions need to take a PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, genetic test.
“World Boxing’s policy on gender eligibility, which includes mandatory sex testing, is designed to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field,” they said in Thursday’s statement.
Boxing has been rocked by organisational problems in recent years.
World Boxing have been mandated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with organising the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In late May, World Boxing announced they were introducing mandatory gender testing to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes wanting to take part in its competitions.
It has become a major issue in boxing since the Paris Olympics last year when Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting were at the centre of a gender row.
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