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Boxing at the Summer Olympics facts for kids

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For the style of boxing also known as "Olympic Boxing", see Amateur boxing.
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Boxing at the Summer Olympics
Boxing pictogram.svg
Governing body AIBA (suspended)
IOC (only 2020)
Events 13 (men: 7; women: 6)
Games
  • 1896
  • 1900
  • 1904
  • 1908
  • 1912
  • 1920
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 2000
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2012
  • 2016
  • 2020
  • Medalists

Boxing has been a part of almost every Summer Olympic Games since it was first included in the 1904 Summer Olympics. The only time it wasn't featured was at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. This was because Swedish law didn't allow the sport back then.

For a long time, only men competed in Olympic boxing. But that changed at the 2012 Summer Olympics, when women's boxing became an official part of the program for the first time.

History of Olympic Boxing

Boxing first appeared at the 1904 Summer Olympics. At that time, only boxers from North America competed because not many people from other places joined. After the 1908 Summer Olympics, boxing has been in every Summer Olympics, except for the 1912 Games in Stockholm, as mentioned earlier.

For many years, if a boxer lost in the semi-finals, they would have another match to decide who got the bronze medal. But in 1950, the International Boxing Association (IBA) decided to stop this. They felt there wasn't enough time for boxers to rest between the semi-finals and the bronze medal match.

Later, in 1970, the IBA suggested that both boxers who lost in the semi-finals should get a bronze medal. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed, and this rule started at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Boxers who lost in the semi-finals between 1952 and 1968 also received bronze medals later on, even if they only got a special certificate at the time.

A big change happened at the 2012 Summer Olympics when women's boxing events were added to the program. This was a major step for the sport.

In 2016, another important rule change came into play. Before this, only amateur boxers could compete in the Olympics. But in 2016, the IBA allowed professional boxers to join the Olympic events for the first time.

Also starting from the 2016 Summer Olympics, male boxers no longer had to wear protective headgear during their matches. The AIBA and IOC decided that headgear actually increased the risk of concussions for men. However, female boxers still wear headgear because there wasn't enough information about its effect on women. From 2016 onwards, the "10-point must" scoring system was also used to judge the fights.

Boxing Events and Rules

Olympic boxing competitions are set up as tournaments. Boxers compete in different weight classes, which are categories based on their body weight. The number of weight classes has changed over the years. Currently, there are 7 weight classes for men and 6 for women. The exact weight limits for each class have also changed many times. For example, before 1936, weights were measured in pounds, but from 1948 onwards, they are measured in kilograms.

In 2013, the International Boxing Association made some big changes to how things work. They introduced new ways for professional boxers to qualify for the Olympics, allowing them to keep their ties with their national teams.

As mentioned, from the 2016 Summer Olympics, male boxers no longer wear headgear. This was a big change aimed at making the sport safer for them. The "10-point must" scoring system is used, where judges give points to boxers based on how well they perform in each round. The boxer who wins the round usually gets 10 points, and the other boxer gets fewer points depending on how much they were outscored.

Top Countries in Olympic Boxing

The table below shows which countries have won the most medals in Olympic boxing. Countries are ranked by the number of gold medals first, then silver, then bronze. Remember, since 1952, both boxers who lose in the semi-finals get a bronze medal.

This information is up to date as of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  United States (USA) 50 27 40 117
2  Cuba (CUB) 41 19 18 78
3  Great Britain (GBR) 20 15 27 62
4  Italy (ITA) 15 15 18 48
5  Soviet Union (URS) 14 19 18 51
6  Russia (RUS) 10 5 15 30
7  Hungary (HUN) 10 2 8 20
8  Poland (POL) 8 9 26 43
9  Argentina (ARG) 7 7 10 24
 Kazakhstan (KAZ) 7 7 10 24
11  France (FRA) 6 9 10 25
12  South Africa (RSA) 6 4 9 19
13  Bulgaria (BUL) 5 5 9 19
14  Uzbekistan (UZB) 5 2 8 15
15  East Germany (GDR) 5 2 6 13
16  Germany (GER) 4 9 10 23
17  Thailand (THA) 4 4 7 15
 Ukraine (UKR) 4 4 7 15
19  South Korea (KOR) 3 7 10 20
20  Canada (CAN) 3 7 7 17
21  Ireland (IRL) 3 5 10 18
22  China (CHN) 3 5 6 14
23  Yugoslavia (YUG) 3 2 6 11
24  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 3 1 2 6
25  Japan (JPN) 3 0 5 8
26  Mexico (MEX) 2 3 8 13
27  North Korea (PRK) 2 3 3 8
28  Brazil (BRA) 2 2 4 8
29  Finland (FIN) 2 1 13 16
30  Romania (ROU) 1 9 15 25
31  Denmark (DEN) 1 5 6 12
32  Turkey (TUR) 1 3 3 7
33  United Team of Germany (EUA) 1 3 2 6
 Venezuela (VEN) 1 3 2 6
35  Netherlands (NED) 1 2 5 8
36  Mongolia (MGL) 1 2 4 7
37  Norway (NOR) 1 2 2 5
38  Kenya (KEN) 1 1 5 7
39  Republic of China (ROC) 1 1 4 6
40  Belgium (BEL) 1 1 2 4
 New Zealand (NZL) 1 1 2 4
42  Algeria (ALG) 1 0 5 6
 West Germany (FRG) 1 0 5 6
44  Dominican Republic (DOM) 1 0 1 2
45  Sweden (SWE) 0 5 6 11
46  Philippines (PHI) 0 4 4 8
47  Nigeria (NGR) 0 3 3 6
48  Uganda (UGA) 0 3 1 4
49  Spain (ESP) 0 2 2 4
50  Belarus (BLR) 0 2 0 2
51  Azerbaijan (AZE) 0 1 8 9
52  Puerto Rico (PUR) 0 1 5 6
53  Australia (AUS) 0 1 4 5
 Colombia (COL) 0 1 4 5
55  Egypt (EGY) 0 1 3 4
 Ghana (GHA) 0 1 3 4
57  Chile (CHI) 0 1 2 3
58  Cameroon (CMR) 0 1 1 2
 Unified Team (EUN) 0 1 1 2
60  Australasia (ANZ) 0 1 0 1
 Czech Republic (CZE) 0 1 0 1
 Estonia (EST) 0 1 0 1
 Tonga (TGA) 0 1 0 1
64  Morocco (MAR) 0 0 4 4
65  India (IND) 0 0 3 3
66  Armenia (ARM) 0 0 2 2
 Moldova (MDA) 0 0 2 2
 Tunisia (TUN) 0 0 2 2
69  Bermuda (BER) 0 0 1 1
 Chinese Taipei (TPE) 0 0 1 1
 Croatia (CRO) 0 0 1 1
 Georgia (GEO) 0 0 1 1
 Guyana (GUY) 0 0 1 1
 Lithuania (LTU) 0 0 1 1
 Mauritius (MRI) 0 0 1 1
 Niger (NIG) 0 0 1 1
 Pakistan (PAK) 0 0 1 1
 Syria (SYR) 0 0 1 1
 Tajikistan (TJK) 0 0 1 1
 Uruguay (URU) 0 0 1 1
 Zambia (ZAM) 0 0 1 1
Totals (81 entries) 265 265 466 996

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Boxeo en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

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