France’s Female Boxers Are Banned From World Championships Due To Genetic Test Delay

French female boxers person been barred from competing astatine nan inaugural World Boxing Championships successful Liverpool aft failing to meet a deadline for a familial activity trial that nan French boxing federation (FFBoxe) said was incompatible pinch French law.

World Boxing, which issued a database of competitors for Thursday’s opening rounds pinch nary French entrants included, said it would not remark connected individual cases but added it had warned each federations of nan policy.

FFBoxe said it was told connected 21 July that each female athletes needed to supply results of a “femininity test” during registration for nan competition.

French rule prohibits nan federation from conducting nan tests domestically aliases overseas without a aesculapian prescription, FFBoxe said, prompting it to move to a laboratory successful Leeds upon World Boxing’s recommendation. Despite assurances that results would beryllium delivered wrong 24 hours, they were delayed.

“With, arsenic a consequence, nan removal of our athletes arsenic good arsenic different female boxers from overseas delegations who besides recovered themselves trapped,” FFBoxe said successful a statement. “This is simply a profound injustice. Our athletes are being punished for a bureaucratic nonaccomplishment and a argumentation that was communicated acold excessively late.”

World Boxing said that each federations had been warned connected 21 August. “Receiving results for sex-testing tin return 48 hours. Any tests completed later than 1 September would jeopardise your athlete’s introduction into nan charismatic tie and competition. Please see your presence clip to nan UK if you require sex-testing successful nan UK,” nan governing assemblage said successful a statement.

“World Boxing and its partners person been moving pinch aggregate nationalist federations complete nan past 3 weeks to facilitate entree to testing accommodation astatine respective locations successful Great Britain and galore boxers that are competing astatine nan title person been tested via this process.”

Maëlys Richol (left) competing successful Colorado past year. ‘It is highly difficult to take,’ she said. ‘We are frustrated, angry, and profoundly disappointed.’ Photograph: Isaiah J Downing/USA Today Sports

World Boxing, which will oversee boxing astatine nan 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, introduced mandatory familial testing successful May for female athletes complete 18 to corroborate eligibility for competition. Its president, Boris van der Vorst, reiterated connected Wednesday that it had introduced nan tests to guarantee information and fairness.

An FFBoxe spokesperson said connected Thursday it had still not received nan trial results from nan laboratory, which he did not name, and was looking into nan anticipation of an appeal.

The French boxer Maëlys Richol said connected Instagram that a twelvemonth of activity had been wasted owed to mediocre management. “It is highly difficult to take. We are frustrated, angry, and profoundly disappointed,” she said.

The contention reignited statement connected activity verification successful sports. The Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who won golden successful nan women’s welterweight section astatine nan Paris Olympics past year, has appealed to nan tribunal of arbitration for sport against World Boxing’s determination to barroom her from early events unless she undergoes familial activity testing. Cas, sport’s highest court, dismissed her petition to suspend nan ruling while her lawsuit was heard.