Olympic sport since 1904
Boxing ranks
among the Olympic Games' most illustrious sports.
 |
|
| Koki
Kameda (L) of Japan lands a punch to Juan Jose Landaeta of Venezuela
during the World Boxing Association (WBA) light flyweight title bout at
Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, August 2, 2006. Kameda
defeated Landaeta by a 2-1 decision. [Reuters] |
|
When it first arrived in the Ancient Olympic Games, the tools of the trade
were long strips of leather wrapped around boxers' fists. The fight continued
until one man or the other went down or conceded. The Romans followed with a
gladiator dimension. They used gloves studded with spikes or weighted with lead,
and fights often ended in death, like other entertainment of the day.
When the modern Games resumed in 1896, the Athens organising committee
omitted boxing, deciding it was too dangerous. The sport reappeared in 1904 in
St. Louis, thanks to its popularity in the United States, then disappeared again
in 1912 at Stockholm because Sweden's national law banned it.
Only in 1920 did boxing return to the Olympic Games to stay. Hence, Muhammad
Ali (Cassius Clay at the time) and Teofilo Stevenson (a three-time gold
medallist) could join names like Theagenes of Thassos and Cleitomachus of Thebes
among the legends.
COMPETITION - SYDNEY
Boxers qualify for the Olympic Games through regional qualifying tournaments
in Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania. The number of boxers accepted
from any region depends upon the strength of boxing in the region and varies
according to weight division.
The boxers are paired off at random for the Olympic Games, without regard to
ranking. They fight in a single-elimination tournament, but, unlike most Olympic
events, both losing semi-finalists receive bronze medals.
LIST OF EVENTS
+ 91kg (super heavyweight) Men
- 48kg (light-flyweight)
Men
48 - 51kg (flyweight) Men
51 - 54kg (bantamweight)
Men
54 - 57kg (featherweight) Men
57 - 60kg (lightweight)
Men
60 - 64 kg Men
64 - 69 kg Men
69 - 75 kg
Men
75 - 81kg (light-heavyweight) Men
81 - 91kg (heavyweight)
Men
