Boxing World Championships: Nigeria’s Blessing Oraekwe 'Heartbroken' After Missing Gender Test Deadline

Nigerian boxer Blessing Oraekwe has been barred from the World Championships in Liverpool after missing the deadline for a new gender eligibility test, calling the decision "heartbreaking".

Oraekwe, set to fight in the 75kg category, urged World Boxing to compensate her and her teammates for travel and training expenses wasted by the late testing process.

In May, World Boxing introduced mandatory genetic sex testing for women’s competitors. Despite reminders on 21 August that test results take 48 hours and a final cut-off of 1 September, 12 athletes from five countries, including three Nigerians, were excluded due to slow processing in the UK.

"It was heartbreaking because I trained for this moment and hoped to bring home gold for Nigeria," said Oraekwe. "We spent time and resources preparing, only to be excluded by a bureaucratic delay."

World Boxing maintains that federations were responsible for arranging timely tests and warned teams to plan arrivals accordingly. Acting secretary general Mike McAtee said the policy ensures athlete safety and fairness, but pledged to review support for future testing needs.

France’s federation also reported exclusion of its entire women’s squad after lab delays, describing the situation as "a profound injustice". French boxer Maelys Richol added, 'It’s difficult to accept that months of training were ended by administrative error.'

Missed deadlines for mandatory sex tests have sidelined top contenders, exposing gaps in World Boxing’s rollout and leaving athletes out-of-pocket.

This topic was reported by BBC Sport.

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