• French women boxers barred from World Championships due to late genetic test results.
• French law prohibits mandatory gender testing, complicating compliance with new World Boxing rules.
• FFBoxe condemns decision as a 'profund injustice' affecting multiple athletes.

The French women's boxing team has been barred from competing in the inaugural World Boxing Championships in Liverpool after failing to meet a deadline for mandatory genetic testing results. The French Boxing Federation (FFBoxe) stated that the genetic sex tests required by World Boxing conflict with French law, which prohibits such tests without medical prescription, leading to logistical issues and delayed results, according to Reuters, Le Monde, and Al Jazeera.

World Boxing announced last month that female athletes wishing to compete must undergo genetic sex testing by September 1st. The tests have been prohibited in France since 1994, resulting in the necessity for the athletes to travel to England to complete this requirement at a laboratory in Leeds. The FFBoxe expressed dismay at the situation, highlighting that despite assurances from World Boxing that results would be available in time, they ultimately were delayed, according to BBC and India Times.

FFCBoxe’s officials characterized the exclusion of their team members as a “profound injustice” and criticized the timing of the genetic testing policy, which was only communicated late and seemed unmanageable. The federation's statement reflected heightened emotions, stating, "Our athletes are being punished for a bureaucratic failure and a policy that was communicated far too late," thus expressing solidarity with other athletes facing similar predicaments, as reported by Reuters and Le Monde.

Furthermore, the new gender testing protocol has rekindled discussions surrounding gender verification in sports, particularly after past controversies involving athletes such as Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who also faced repercussions related to gender eligibility testing. Khelif has turned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in response to the World Boxing regulations regarding genetic testing, which reminds the boxing community of ongoing debates about inclusion and fairness in women’s sports, according to India Times, Al Jazeera, and BBC.