Female Boxing in 2012 Olympics

British boxer Heather Brooks cools down during a training session at the Miguel Boxing Gym, in south London © Reuters

Female boxing will be added to the 2012 Olympic games in London said Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The decision was made at a meeting of the organization in
Berlin. There it will be three divisions: flyweight (106 lbs-112 lbs), lightweight (123 lbs-132 lbs) and middleweight (152 lbs-165 pounds), with 12 boxers boxing in each of three divisions. This nomination should easily be approved by the IOC General Committee in October in Copenhagen. Boxing was previously the only summer sport on the Olympic docket without female representation. With the addition of female boxing, men’s boxing will be reduced from eleven weight divisions to ten, with the lightest category being eliminated.