The real reason why women wear headguards but men don't in Olympic boxing

Boxing is one of the highlights of the Olympic Games but there is a major difference between the male and female events.

Team GB will be hoping for similar success at Paris 2024 as they did in Tokyo four years ago when they brought home six medals.

During the events, you might have noticed a major difference between the men and women’s competitions.

Men are currently NOT required to wear protective headgear while female boxers are forced to sport the equipment during their competition.

Prior to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, both men and women were required to wear them as per the guidelines on boxing headguards which comes from the International Olympic Committee and the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

Headgear was first introduced to the Olympic Games following the tragic death of South Korean fighter Kim Duk-Koo in 1984.

He lost via TKO against Ray Mancini and collapsed into a coma just minutes after the fight was called off. Kim died five days after the bout with a neurosurgeon declaring the fatal blow came from one punch. His death sparked major reform in boxing.

Up until 2016, wearing headgear was mandatory for all competitors but following a study by the Global Sport Institute, headgear was dropped for men after the study found boxers were less likely to suffer a concussion without them.

Anthony Joshua wore headgear during his appearance at the 2012 Olympics (Getty)

However, as the study was only conducted on men, there is no conclusive data for female athletes meaning head protection remains mandatory for women’s boxing.

Back in 2022, two-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion Claressa Shields hit out at the decision to keep headguards for women but not men in amateur boxing.

She wrote on her official X account: “Tryna understand why do amateur boxing allow men to box without headgear but not the women! This is 2022!”

According to Inside The Games, AIBA have now voted to approve the removal of headgear in women’s boxing and a three-month trial period has been set.

It remains to be seen whether the IOC will follow suit, meaning women boxers could fight without headgear for the first time in Los Angeles in four years' time.