The sport of boxing is going to witness a big change in the coming Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the year 2016. The male boxers will have to give up their headgears in this year’s Olympics. The male boxers can now plant punches on their rivals in the absence of headgear. This is happening after a gap of long thirty two years. The change was proposed by World Boxing Federation AIBA and sanctioned by International Olympic Committee.
This constitutional change has also opened the doors for the professional boxers that are going to play the game at the competition scheduled to take place in the month of August. The professional boxers would be able to play the game without headgear in the competition, this August.
3 years ago, AIBA decided to introduce the headgear change for amateur boxers. They brought this issue in front of the International Olympic Committee executive board. The IOC executive board passed the proposal without any objection.
International Olympic Committee stated that, according to the medical research reports presented to them by AIBA, the susceptibility to concussions is more with headgears than without it. AIBA has prepared a report supporting their proposal of allowing the boxers to play the game without their headgear.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams stated that, the medical research report provided to the International Olympic Committee by AIBA contains a detailed medical and technical data that shows that the number of concussions is more when the player wears a headgear as compared to the times when he is not wearing a headgear. He further said that AIBA has dedicated a considerable amount of time in doing this research. For the past three years they have been collecting the data and more information regarding this research. IOC has now passed this proposal. This rule will be implemented in the game in Rio de Janeiro Olympics this year.
The last time when the boxers played the game without their headgears was in 1980 Moscow Olympics. Ever since the Los Angeles Olympics that held in the year 1984, the boxers had been wearing headgears while boxing. And now, after the long duration of time, the boxers will get back to the boxing ring without their headgears.
It would be very interesting to watch the boxers play the game without their headgears on in this year’s Olympics.
