Afghan Female Boxers To Wear Hijabs At London 2012 Olympics

by Yuliya Talmazan | October 5, 2009 at 09:14 am
593 views | 28 Recommendations | 12 comments

Photos

026-113

026-113

see larger image

uploaded by AlirezaF

Women's boxing will make its debut at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, and Afghan female boxers will be in the mix to fight for the medals. Except, the Afghan women are determined to be allowed to wear hijabs while fighting. A team of female boxers is currently training in Kabul in their traditional Muslim clothing to take on the world in 2012. TimesOnline reports that the international body governing boxing (IBA) does not prohibit women from wearing traditional attire when fighting as long as their clothing does not pose a safety threat to any of the competitors involved and lets the ring judge see the competitor's face clearly. However, technical and competition rules currently posted on the IBA's website say, "a Referee shall exclude from competition any boxer who does not wear a headguard, a cup-protector (only men), and gum shield, or who is not clean and properly dressed. No other objects may be worn during the competition."

But, the IBA spokesperson claims hijabs will indeed be allowed on the ring.

“At the moment there is nothing preventing women boxers from wearing full Islamic dress. Obviously, religious requirements should be taken into account and we want to be as inclusive as we can,” said an IBA spokesman.

Quote

"Afghan women are brave. Some people say it is very dangerous for girls to do boxing. Others say Afghanistan is not ready for this. These girls are proving those people wrong."
Sharify, Afghanistan's former boxing star

To me personally, the biggest surprise in this story is not the fact that the hijabs were OKed by the International Boxing Association. Instead, it is the fact that Afghanistan could put together a team of female boxers who are now training on a regular basis and will participate in the 2012 Games with full force. In the country where women are not allowed a whole lot of freedom in any realm of life, having girls kicking their opponents around the ring seems to be on the verge of impossible. Unfortunately, there is no information about whether these boxers get harassed in their country for taking on the sport, but it is known that some Islamic clerics have spoken out against any female performing in public as an athlete or entertainer. So for one, I will be eager to see these women take to the ring come the summer of 2012.

Related Coverage:

recommend Add a comment
0
Blaine Metzgar

Great post, glad to see that at the Olympics, a truly international event, all cultures and traditions can be accurately represented and furthermore respected.

0
Sputnic

Boxing is forbidden in Islam ! Male, female it makes no difference, boxing is barbaric. All blood sports are forbidden in Islam.

0
B. Zelley

Tell that to  former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and the many other Muslim boxers.

0
a211423

I am surprised as well that Afghan women will be participating in boxing.  I am not a boxing fan for men or women, but if these women chose to do this, I would support their right to chose.  If will be interesting, however, to see how they will wear the hijab and the head protector.  I have seen these in Olympic boxing, and the only part of their head that is not covered by the protector is the face, so I don't know how they will wear the hijab.

I would be interested to know if they are participating in swimming and diving events, and how they would participate, or any other events for that matter.  Some would seem to prevent wearing a hijab based on the type of event.

1
Sputnic

They have the choice, but if Afghanistan was not so poor, would they choose it ? How many of the worlds boxers started boxing as rich people ?

0
AlvarezGalloso

Thanks for sharing.

2
a211423

Sputnic

Here is a little history on boxing.  It didnt' become a working man's sport until the Industrial Revolution, and men discovered they could have matches and earn a living from boxing.

Boxing originated when a person first lifted a fist against another in play. Different eras of the sport have been distinguished by the use or nonuse of fist coverings. The ancient Greeks believed fist fighting was one of the games played by the gods on Olympus; thus it became part of the Olympic Games in about 688 BC. Homer has a reference to boxing in the Iliad. During Roman times the sport began to thrive on a wide scale. Boxers fought with leather bands around their fists for protection and sometimes wore metal-filled, leather hand coverings called cesti, resulting in bloody, often duel-to-death, battles. Boxing diminished after the fall of Rome. It was revived in the 18th century in England and became especially popular during the championship reign of James Figg, who held the heavyweight title from 1719 through 1730. Boxing became a workingman's sport during the Industrial Revolution as prizefights attracted participants and spectators from the working class. Organization was minimal at first, and the bouts of those eras resembled street fights more than modern boxing.

The second heavyweight champion, Jack Broughton of England, drew his own set of rules for his own fights, and these were recognized in 1743. They outlawed some of the gorier aspects that the sport had acquired, such as hitting below the belt line. Instead of a ring of spectators--hence, the name ring--Broughton insisted upon a squared-off area. His rules governed what is known as the "bareknuckle era."

2
Sputnic

You have enriched my day beyond words. So, the Greeks did it for prestige and power and industrial revolutionaries for money. Thanks

3
The_Cynic

The Queensbury Rules

1. To be a fair stand-up boxing match in a twenty-four foot ring or as near that size as practicable.

2. No wrestling or hugging allowed.

3. The rounds to be of three minutes duration and one minute time between rounds.

4. If either man fall through weakness or otherwise, he must get up unassisted, ten seconds be allowed to do so, the other man meanwhile to return to his corner; and when the fallen man is on his legs the round is to be resumed and continued until the three minutes have expired. If one man fails to come to the scratch in the ten seconds allowed, it shall be in the power of the referee to give his awart in favour of the other man.

5. A man hanging on the ropes in a helpless state, with his toes off the ground, shall be considered down.

6. No seconds or any other person to be allowed in the ring during the rounds.

7. Should the contest be stopped by any unavoidable interference, the referee (is) to name the time and place as soon as possible for finishing the contest, to that the match can be won and lost, unless the backers of the men agree to draw the stakes.

8. The gloves to be fair-sized boxing gloves of the best quality and new.

9. Should a glove burst, or come off, it must be replaced to the referee's satisfaction.

10. A man on one knee is considered down, and if struck is entitled to the stakes.

11. No shoes or boots with springs allowed.

12. The contest in all other respects to be governed by the revised rules of the London Prize Ring.

1
nanute

How will we tell if they are hitting below the belt?

1
Rory Cripps

Expose the area and look for signs of illegal contact! HA! Could you imagine what would be discovered ?

0
ishaq khan

afghans are allrounders in every sport cricket boxing taqwandoo  

Add a comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.

What is NowPublic?

NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.

Find out more

Crowd Power

a211423
First Flagged at 10:01 AM, Oct 5, 2009 by a211423
These members have powered this story:

Most Recommended Stories in World

Recommendations (28)

Most recently recommended by:
 

closeSign in to NowPublic

is reporting from