Fighting for the Female Right to Fight... Sunday, August 11

The following has been quoted from the WBAN's Facebook page -- Equality for Female Boxers.

On behalf of female amateur boxers, Women Boxing Archive Network (WBAN) has begun a petition addressed to the International Olympic Committee to increase opportunities and prevent discrimination against female boxers, as well as other women athletes.

Do the math: There are 286 boxers in the Olympics. FEMALE BOXERS only account for 36 in the Olympics, with only THREE weight classes. In the Men's division, there are 250 boxers, in TEN Weight Classes. On the Olympic's Official Website, they state about equality: The Olympic Charter was amended to include, for the first time in history, an explicit reference to the need for work in this area:

"The IOC encourages and supports the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures, with a view to implementing the principle of equality of men and women."The boxer

Cecilia Brækhus is sorry on behalf of the women. The reason is, that the number of weight divisions for women at the Olympic games in Rio will not increase from the 3 they had in London. There it was the first time women were included in the sport and with great success. But now IOC says it is enough for the time being.

A tough fight.

350,000 female boxers from 70 nations must therefore compete in 3 divisions: 51 - 60 and +75 kg. This could be hazardous. We know there are coaches who will put the women under pressure, because they also have a great wish to take part in the Olympics. This could cause a gamble with the health of the competitors, and I cannot understand that the IOC does not see this, says Brækhus. 

She thinks it is very sad, that the women must keep struggling this way.

It is tough, tiresome and frustrating. That it is very unfair, that the men have 10 weight divisions and the women 3 is one thing, but to me the health issue is the most important. This results in a health risk, which I feel the IOC neglects. Women have different bodies and heights. This is madness.

It's sad I think, the fact that we live in the day of age where we've raised the equality of women so high, women can now vote and for goodness sake even Korea -- a country where I've now lived in for 9 years and now all too well about it's male dominant society -- has elected a female president yet the Olympics in Rio, 2016, only has THREE weight classes for female boxers.  They do realize this is a weight-sensitive sport, right?!  There's obviously going to be the risk of boxers either dropping mad weight or adding on excessive weight so that they can wedge themselves into whatever closest weight class -- that's just craziness.  Consequently there will of course also be those female fighters, deserving of a fighting spot in the Olympics, who will not be able to participate because the whole weight issue.  We're not talking about a bunch of out of shape women being asked to drop a chunk of weight, we're talking about pro athletes who eat, sleep, breath their sport and train excessively, being asked to drop weight that has already been developed into lean muscle and much needed mass.  I know how it was like when I fought in Japan.  I weighed about 54kgs and they told me I could only fight if I got down to 47kgs, which meant I had to be UNDER 47kgs.  I got dragged through what felt like hell and back having to make that weight expectation and it wasn't fat I lost.  I lost lean muscle and severely dehydrated myself to make the cut-off.  

The women get three weight classes and the men get ten, how does that seem fair?  

What message does this send out to the masses about the sport and the Olympics so-called "equality of men and women", of equality due to its' athletes?!  It sends two messages I think, one being that female athletes in the sport of boxing are due the equal attention as their male counterparts and it also sends the message that perhaps the female boxing pool is lacking in athletes which, trust me, it really is not.  Woman all over the world may be fighting their country's stereotypical gender roles and gender expectations but female boxing is alive and growing stronger and stronger by the year!