French Women's Boxing Faces Major Setback Amid Sex Testing Controversy

Paris, Sep 4 (AP) — A major setback has emerged for French women's boxing on the eve of the world championships in England, as five top athletes have been barred from competing due to issues stemming from newly mandated sex tests.

The mandate, introduced in response to last year’s Paris Olympics controversy, requires female boxers to undergo scientific tests to verify their sex at birth. It has sparked significant debate, particularly in France, where such tests clash with national laws safeguarding women's privacy. Accordingly, these athletes were unable to meet the necessary deadlines for obtaining their results, which were supposed to come from England.

The French boxing team reacted with "astonishment and indignation," lamenting the exclusion of its athletes. Among the sidelined boxers are Romane Moulai, Wassila Lkhadiri, Melissa Bounoua, Sthélyne Grosy, and Maëlys Richol.

This new testing regimen was unfolded by World Boxing on May 30, following a contentious campaign surrounding athletes Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan at last year's Olympics, who faced scrutiny over their eligibility after winning gold medals.

World Boxing, which the IOC provisionally recognized earlier this year as the sport's new governing body, placed the onus firmly on national federations, indicating the French were responsible for missing the deadline. "It is very disappointing for the boxers that some national federations have not been able to complete this process in time,” the organization stated, emphasizing that federations had the closest ties to their athletes and were best positioned to handle the testing regime.

The French federation insisted it was assured of receiving test results "within 24 hours,” allowing them to proceed with registering their boxers. Yet, that promise went unfulfilled, leaving their athletes out of the ring in Liverpool.

This situation has drawn criticism from within, as boxer Maëlys Richol reshared an Instagram post by Estelle Mossely, a former candidate for the federation's presidency, demanding the resignation of those at fault.

Additionally, Imane Khelif will also not compete following the Court of Arbitration for Sport's refusal to provide an urgent interim resolution in her larger legal battle against World Boxing's testing demands.

(AP)

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