Women's Boxing will Feature at 2012 Olympics

The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), meeting in the German capital Berlin, has announced that women's boxing will be introduced to the Games when they are held in London in 2012.

Boxing had been the only sport competed for at the Olympics in which there was not an event for women. Consideration had previously been given to including the sport in the 2008 Games that were held in Beijing but as the BBC reports the IOC finally decided that it "would not offer added value to the Olympic programme". Speaking about the decision to include women's boxing in 2012, IOC President Jacques Rogge had this to say:

Women's boxing has come on a tremendous amount in the last five years and it was time to include them

The BBC has indicated that 3 weight divisions will be competed for in 2012, meaning that one of the current 11 divisions being competed for by men will be dispensed with, whilst Sky News is reporting that the International Boxing Federation are planning for 5 weight divisions, involving 40 competitors in total. Amongst those welcoming today's decision were Nicola Adams, the woman who won Britain's first ever medal at a world championship when she claimed a silver at Bantamweight in 2008, and Sharon Holford, a 3- times British Champion and EU Champion. The latter woman expressed her happiness that her sport would now feature at the Olympics, saying :

The Olympics is the pinnacle for any amateur sports person so it is fantastic that women boxers have at last been given the opportunity to take part. Boxing is open and accessible to anyone with talent and commitment and it is a great reward for the hundreds of women that compete in the sport

Other reactions were mixed with Amir Khan, a silver medalist for Britain at the 2004 Games, saying that whilst he did not agree with the decision he would nevertheless support the women selected to fight for Britain, adding that he had not actually seen a bout between women. On the other hand Richie Woodhall, a world champion for Britain at Super Middleweight, was very supportive of the IOC's decision, commenting:

I have seen at first hand the massive improvements that have taken place in competitive women's amateur boxing over the last few years

From the viewpoint of equality Sue Tibballs, chief executive of the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation, too welcomed the decision. Peter McCabe, chief executive of brain injury association Headway, reiterated his organization's opposition to any form of boxing and expressed concern that today's decision would "simply serve to glamorise a dangerous and irresponsible sport to a new audience". Separate to the vote on women's boxing was another concerning which 2 sports should go forward for approval for their inclusion in the 2016 Olympics. The final decision rests with a full IOC Congress meeting being held in Copenhagen in October but the 2 sports that the Executive Board recommended for inclusion were Golf and Rugby Sevens. That same Congress will decide on the venue for the 2016 Games and the 4 cities in contention are Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo. As the BBC notes Golf last appeared at the Olympics in 1904 when the games were held in St Louis. The introduction to the Olympics of Rugby Sevens, played according to the Union code, would see the disappearance of the International Rugby Board's Sevens World Cup. Rugby Union was present at the Games between 1900 and 1924 but was then played with 15-a-side. The five sports that lost out in the vote as to which of them would go forward for approval in Copenhagen were baseball, softball, rollersports, karate and squash. Some of those sports have previously been a part of the Olympic program but for one reason or another have been dropped. With baseball, for example, the fact that it is not a sport played and followed throughout the world was one factor. Another factor was the reluctance of North America's Major League Baseball to interrupt its season so that players could compete in the Olympics.