PARIS, Sept 4 — The French women’s boxing team have been barred from the world championships because the results of their gender tests were not delivered on time, the French Federation (FFBoxe) said today.
World Boxing announced last month that women wanting to compete in the event in Liverpool, which begins today, would have to undergo mandatory genetic sex testing under its new policy.
Such tests have been banned in France since a 1994 law, except under strict conditions, meaning the French federation had to wait until the team reached England before proceeding with them.
The five-member squad underwent testing in a World Boxing-accredited laboratory with the understanding that results would be available before the deadline.
In a statement to AFP, World Boxing placed responsibility on national federations, saying they were “best placed to manage the testing process” and oversee entries.
“It is very disappointing for the boxers that some National Federations have not been able to complete this process in time,” it said.
French Sports Minister Marie Barsacq condemned the exclusion as “inadmissible,” while FFBoxe expressed “stupefaction and indignation” over what it described as a “trap” that had also ensnared athletes from other countries.
Maelys Richol, one of the five boxers affected, said she felt “frustration, anger and disappointment.”
World Boxing defended the policy, saying it was designed to ensure “the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field.”
The new rules follow controversy at the Paris Olympics last year when Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting were at the centre of a gender row. Both had been excluded from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships but were later cleared by the International Olympic Committee to compete in Paris, where they won gold medals.
Neither Khelif nor Lin are competing in Liverpool. Khelif has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to challenge World Boxing’s introduction of genetic testing.
The debate over eligibility in women’s sports has extended beyond boxing, with athletics and swimming also implementing gender tests. — AFP
