An unexpected blow to the French boxing community: the country’s women’s boxing team has been excluded from the World Championships in Liverpool—not due to injury or competition, but because of a missed deadline for mandatory genetic sex testing.
World Boxing, the sport’s new governing body, required all female athletes to submit genetic sex test results. However, such tests have been prohibited under French law since 1994 unless under exceptional medical circumstances. As a result, the French Boxing Federation (FFBoxe) arranged testing in a World Boxing–approved lab in Leeds—only to receive results too late for the entry deadline.
The French federation’s reaction was one of genuine shock and frustration. In a statement, FFBoxe labelled the exclusion “a profound injustice,” adding: “Despite guarantees given to us by World Boxing, the laboratory they recommended to us failed in its task of delivering the results on time.”
Among those affected was Maelys Richol, a determined athlete who described the situation as “devastating”—a painful setback after a year of dedicated training, halted not due to her performance, but due to bureaucracy.
World Boxing, meanwhile, has defended its approach—pointing out that federations were fully informed of the new requirements and deadlines. The organization stated that compliance is critical for fairness and safety, and that national bodies have the responsibility to manage these protocols properly.
This incident isn’t isolated:
Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, another high-profile female athlete, is also absent from the Championships amid similar eligibility challenges, though the stated reasons differ.
This controversy raises fundamental questions: How do we balance stringent fairness policies with respect for sovereign laws and athletes’ dignity? Should administrative deadlines dictate sporting fate, or should athlete preparation and legal complexity be given more weight?
For the French athletes left watching from the sidelines, this year’s Championships will be remembered not for the punches thrown in the ring, but for the painful reminder that sometimes the biggest battles are fought outside of it.
