OLYMPIC GAMES
Why don’t male boxers have to use headguards in Olympic boxing?
Head protection has been removed from the men’s category since the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Boxing is one of the flagship sports of the Olympic Games. It was first introduced during the St. Louis 1904 Olympic Games, but only male participation was allowed, and it wasn’t until the London 2012 Olympics that women stepped up inside the ring for the very first time.
One aspect that has always characterized Olympic boxing is the protective helmets. These were implemented for the first time for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games after the tragedy with boxer Kim Duk-Koo in 1982. After his contest against Ray Mancini, the South Korean fighter collapsed minutes after the fight was called off, and unfortunately, passed five days later with a neurosurgeon attributing the cause of death to a punch he received.
This devastating event caused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to implement headguards to protect athletes’ integrity. However, fans with a high perception of detail will notice that a distinctive aspect seen since the last two editions of the Olympic Games is that men fight without protective helmets while women do.
Why do men not wear protective helmets during Olympic boxing?
For over 30 years, protective helmets were mandatory for all athletes, but since the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the IOC removed this protective measure for the men’s category.
This decision is based on a study by the Global Sport Institute, which revealed that athletes were less likely to suffer concussions when not wearing headguards. What’s more, Abdelhamid Khadri, the president of the medical committee in the International Boxing Association (IBA), stated that combat interruptions were reduced by 43% without protective helmets, while blows to the head were reduced by 16%.
On the other hand, protective helmets are still mandatory in women’s categories because the study was only conducted on men; it was uncertain if the results would also apply to women. However, this measure will not take much longer to remove since the IBA has approved plans to remove head protectors for women.