The French women's team have been barred from the boxing world championships because the results of their gender tests were not delivered on time in a decision the country's sports minister said on Thursday was "inadmissible".

World Boxing said last month women wanting to compete in the event in Liverpool, northwest England, that started on Thursday would have to undergo mandatory genetic sex testing under its new policy.

Such tests have been banned in France since a law was passed in 1994, except under strict conditions, so the French federation had to wait till they reached England in order to take them.

The five-member team underwent testing in a World Boxing-accredited laboratory with the understanding, the French federation (FFBoxe) said, that the results would be available before the deadline.

The BBC reported that in addition to the five French boxers, another seven, from the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Nigeria and the Philippines, have been barred.

World Boxing laid the blame firmly at the door of the respective national federations.

"Since World Boxing........

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