Overview
- George Francis, an 18-year-old multiple junior national champion, was withdrawn from the Under-19 World Championships in Budva after England Boxing failed to arrange the mandatory sex-verification test.
- World Boxing requires a once‑in‑a‑lifetime PCR test that detects the SRY gene to confirm an athlete’s sex for category eligibility, and national federations must organise and certify those samples.
- Francis turned 18 four days before travel, which triggered the testing requirement, but team administrators did not get him tested or entered on the system in time, so no blood sample was available on the eve of the draw.
- England Boxing called the episode an 'administrative oversight' and said it worked with organisers and the family to find options, while Francis says he was not contacted directly and now plans to consider turning professional.
- The incident echoes a 2025 Liverpool case where missed test deadlines blocked a dozen fighters, highlighting repeated implementation problems that can cost athletes competition places and Olympic qualification chances.