French Women's Boxing Unit Barred From World Championships Over Delayed Gender Test Results

Last Updated:September 04, 2025, 19:14 IST

World Boxing introduced a mandatory gender testing policy last month, in order to ensure a level playing field on the back of the backlash at Paris Olympics.

Boxing representative image (AP Photo)

The French women’s boxing unit has been barred from the world championships due to a delay in the delivery of their gender test results by the French Boxing Federation.

World Boxing introduced a mandatory gender testing policy last month for women wanting to compete in the event in Liverpool, in order to ensure a level playing field on the back of the backlash at Paris Olympics.

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Tests of this nature have been banned in France since the enactment of a law in 1994, except under stringent conditions. Consequently, the French federation had to wait until they arrived in England to proceed with them.

The five-member team underwent testing at a World Boxing-accredited laboratory with the expectation, according to FFBoxe, that the results would be ready before the deadline.

World Boxing, in a statement, attributed the delay to 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)," the statement read.

“National Federations have the closest links and most access to their boxers and are best positioned 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, resulting in some athletes not making it through the sports entry process for the World Boxing Championships."

French Sports Minister Marie Barsacq condemned the decision as “inadmissible," and FFBoxe expressed their frustration over the situation.

“It is with stupefaction and indignation that the French team learned on Wednesday evening that the French women’s boxing team would not be able to compete in the first world championships organised by World Boxing," FFBoxe stated.

“Despite assurances given to us by World Boxing, the laboratory they recommended was unable to deliver the results on time. Consequently, our athletes and those from other countries have been caught in this trap and excluded."

Maelys Richol, one of the five affected French boxers, expressed her “frustration, anger, and disappointment."

Under World Boxing’s policy, fighters over 18 who wish to participate in their competitions must undergo a PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, genetic test.

“World Boxing’s policy on gender eligibility, which includes mandatory sex testing, aims to ensure the safety of all participants and maintain a competitive level playing field," they said in their Thursday statement.

Boxing has faced organisational issues in recent years. World Boxing has been tasked by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with organising the sport for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

In late May, World Boxing announced the introduction of mandatory gender testing to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes for its competitions.

This has become a significant issue in boxing since the Paris Olympics last year when Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting were involved in a gender dispute.

Lin and Khelif were excluded from the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) 2023 world championships after the IBA claimed they had failed eligibility tests. However, the IOC allowed them to compete in Paris, stating they were victims of “a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA." Both won gold medals.

Khelif has turned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to challenge World Boxing’s introduction of the genetic sex test.

Neither Khelif nor Lin are competing in Liverpool.

During the Paris Games, both women faced social media attacks, rumours about their biological sex, and disinformation. The IOC defended them, asserting they were born and raised as women and possess passports attesting to that.

The debate regarding eligibility in women’s sports categories has affected not only boxing but also athletics and swimming. Athletics introduced its own gender test this month.

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