By Ian S. Palmer
Women’s boxing was such a success during the 2012 London Olympics this summer that it’s now going to be showcased in another British city in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. According to the AIBA (The International Boxing Association), the Commonwealth Games Federation met in Uganda following the Olympics and the general assembly meeting saw boxing included in the list of events in 2014.
Dr. Ching-Kuo-Wu, who is the president of the AIBA, released a statement which said the inclusion of women’s boxing in the next Commonwealth Games is proof that the sport is continuing to grow in popularity around the world. He added that female boxers have reached an elite world-class level during the last few years and the event in Glasgow will be a perfect opportunity for them to show the world their talent.
There will be a total of three separate weight classes in the Commonwealth Games, which will be the flyweight, lightweight, and middleweight divisions. The flyweight division has a weight limit of 50 kilograms (110 lbs. ), while the lightweight limit is 60 kilograms (132 lbs. ) and the middleweight division is 75 kilograms (165 lbs.) This means there will be three gold medals up for grabs for the women.
The weight divisions for the men’s boxing competition at the Commonwealth Games haven’t been set yet, but there were 10 weight classes during the tournament in Delhi, India in 2010. The Commonwealth Games are held every four years and more than 70 different nations compete with most of them being current or former countries of the old British Empire. This includes nations such as Britain, Canada, Australia, and Jamaica.
Before women’s boxing was introduced to the Olympics this year, many people involved with the sport felt it wasn’t an appropriate for women to compete in it. This included Cuba, which is one of the most successful amateur boxing centers in the world. However, many of those who were opposed to it changed their minds following the tournament in London. The women put on an exciting display in three weight classes with Nicola Adams of Britain, Katie Taylor of Ireland, and Claressa Shields of America winning gold medals before sell-out crowds.
Wu claimed that he’s trying to talk the International Olympic Committee into expanding the women’s boxing program before the next Olympic Games in Brazil as he’d like to see at least six different weight divisions included. There were 10 weight classes for men at this year’s Olympics, which was one less than in 2008 in Beijing.
The Olympics showed that women’s boxing is now becoming more accepted across the globe and there’s a good chance that the IOC will add more weight divisions. However, it might not happen until the 2020 Games since the IOC might want to make sure that the success of female boxing isn’t just a flash in the pan. The Commonwealth Games could go a long way in convincing the committee that women’s boxing is here to stay.
