OLYMPIC GAMES | BOXING
The reason why boxers can’t have beards while competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris
Amateur fighters have to shave so that their jaw line is visible during the fight, but facial hair is not totally prohibited.
Boxing has many rules to make it as safe as possible. Everything is regulated: from the attire to the punches that can be thrown and connected, professional and amateur boxing have many of the same rules, but there are also others where they differ.
The beard is one of them. Amateur fighters have to shave their beards to fight, while professionals can compete without having to say goodbye to their facial hair.
Why do boxers have to shave at the Olympics?
Beards are allowed in professional boxing, but they must be trimmed to a certain length. The rules state that, during the fight, the fighter’s jaw line must be visible, so facial hair is not completely forbidden.
Furthermore, according to USA Boxing, the reason they are forced to shave is to eliminate the possibility of cuts to the eyes due to the coarse texture of beards and mustaches.
The regulations of the Spanish Boxing Federation also support this rule. “The boxer must be clean-shaven, beards are forbidden. A thin moustache may be allowed, but it must not exceed the length of the upper lip,” it states among its rules.
According to a study by researchers at the University of Utah, in the United States, they suggest that a beard can soften the impact force of a blow.
They claim that hairs collectively diffuse the forcefulness of the blow, as an evolutionary trait in response to the need to assert oneself in fights between men. Male facial shapes have also evolved to protect the face during fights: “the results indicate that hair is able to significantly reduce the impact force of a blunt blow and absorb energy,” they shared in the study, according to Science Alert.