PARIS (AP) — The upcoming world championships for female boxing in Liverpool will see a significant absence: five members of the French national team will not participate due to complications surrounding mandatory sex tests. The new testing regulation was introduced in response to a controversy during the 2024 Paris Olympics, which raised concerns regarding the eligibility of certain athletes.
The French boxing federation expressed its surprise and frustration, stating that its athletes were unable to compete because they did not meet the deadline for submitting test results. French law, which safeguards women’s privacy, prohibits such testing under these circumstances.
World Boxing, the new governing body for the sport, mandated these tests on May 30, following the scrutiny that arose when Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan secured gold medals in Paris. This controversy underscored the need for definitive measures to establish gender eligibility in competitive boxing.
Female boxers are now required to undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or an equivalent genetic screening to verify their sex at birth. According to World Boxing, it is the responsibility of national federations to ensure that these tests are completed in time, given their closer relationships with athletes.
“It is very disappointing for the boxers that some national federations have not been able to complete this process in time,” World Boxing stated in a press release.
The French federation was reportedly assured that they would receive the test results promptly, suggesting that this situation was unexpected. The five boxers who have been excluded from the competition are Romane Moulai, Wassila Lkhadiri, Melissa Bounoua, Sthélyne Grosy, and Maëlys Richol. Richol took to Instagram to share concerns raised by Estelle Mossely, a former candidate for leadership within the federation, who has called for accountability among officials involved in this matter.
Additionally, Khelif will also be absent from the world championships after failing to secure an urgent ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding her appeal against the testing policy established by World Boxing.
