I have some good news for anyone who likes it when sports slap prescribed feminine roles across the face. Women’s Boxing will be part of the London Games this summer! As much as sweaty half-naked women align with my interests, I’ve never been much into boxing. If someone threatened to punch me in my cranial region, I would immediately become one of those people that refers to their face as the “money-maker.” Similarly, I do not enjoy watching other people punch each other continually in the head. Don’t they know that’s where you keep your brain?
Credit: Sue Jaye Johnson for The New York Times
Men’s boxing debuted in 1904, so it only took 105 years for the International Olympics Committee to invite women to join the violence. In men’s continued efforts to ensure no one would ever confuse the sports for being the same, the women’s bouts will last two minutes and continue four rounds while the men have three three-minute rounds. There will be three weight classes (Fly Weight, Light Weight, and Middle Weight) compared to the men’s ten.
Credit: Sue Jaye Johnson for The New York Times
The addition of boxing bodes well for the quest for gender equality in the Games, but perhaps the best example is the simultaneous adding of Men’s and Women’s Rugby 7s to the 2016 Games. Slowly but surely sports have come to include a women’s side with the “manlier” or more dangerous sports taking longer to garner inclusion. It wasn’t until 2000 that Weightlifting was offered for women, and 2014 will see the first time women compete in Ski Jumping. Sexism continues to be eradicated on the most basic level by offering equal opportunities for men and women to compete in all incarnations of the Olympics. Unfortunately, I don’t think inclusion will be the end of the fight for female athletes. Events are constantly being shuffled and in the chaos, it could be easy to subtly undo progress made over the past several score. The presence of less popular and newly added sports depends heavily on growing popularity and a strong field of competitors. So if you have a niece, daughter, or younger sister, it’s never too late to start a career by punching them in the face. Just make sure I’m not around.
also did you guys see they were (are?) trying to make the women boxers wear miniskirts?!
Uugh. Yeah but there’s no way it’s getting through.
But how are they supposed to slide in that?
They’ve already making the lady badminton players wear skirts. It’s ridiculous.
Sorry, complete grammar fail there.
I think it works too, which is predictably disappointing — women’s beach volleyball was the first to sell out at the London Games.
I’d like to see them tell any of the women pictured above that they have to wear a skirt.
this
I think there is a chance some will pull out if they do… which is a pity since they have been trying to get women’s boxing included for so long… its skirts and tighter tops and the reason being apparently is that when men and women are dressed in boxing gear its hard to tell if it is men or women boxing…
As a combat sport enthusiast and practitioner, this news excite me to no end!
Totally happy to see more female sports in the Olympics. It still sucks that softball is no longer included, though.
it sucks that softball is no longer included. I think it sucks even more that women’s baseball was shooed away along with men’s baseball. Many people are unaware Women’s Baseball was even an Olympic sport. It’s a shame because the rulebook for the women’s and the men’s games are the same.
It’s awful to see that women’s boxing has been manipulated to have rules different from the men’s version… as if to make it a lesser sport. I feel as though that is what happened with softball as well in its divergence from baseball.
Those photos just fulfilled my badassery quotient for the day.
Awesome! I may have to watch Million Dollar Baby and cry again now.
Also, sevens are going to be in the olympics?? aaahhhh
I have tickets to one of the olympic women’s handball matches!
I don’t have a comment relevant to the boxing (except that it’s great it’s included obviously), I’m just excited about the handball! Roll on August!
I havent read this yet cos im to hungover BUT from the title all i think i should say is katie taylor what a hero…. watch this space defo a gold :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Taylor