The Gender Divide: Boxing and Headgear
Since I wrote this stuff in a Facebook post, I might as well put it in the blog for posterity.
OK… watching boxing at the 2020/2021 Tokyo Olympics has me curious. Why do the women have helmets, and the men don’t?
The answer can be found here: https://globalsportmatters.com/health/2019/08/27/aiba-drops-headgear-male-amateur-boxers-female-fighters-wear-them/
TL, DR in selected quotes: the AIBA (International Boxing Association) says “boxers who competed without headgear were less likely to experience acute brain injury than those who wore head protection” and “head guards give a false sense of safety, so boxers engage in more high-risk behaviors than they would were they not wearing a head guard.” But apparently there isn’t enough research yet about female boxers, so they decided to keep the headguards. Curiously, “It has been hypothesized that concussions aren’t as much of an issue for women because they often lack the power to cause brain injuries with their punches.”
Hmmm… NO. I disagree with that last point. A blow to the head is a blow to the head – whether from a man or a woman – and can still cause brain injury. The only way you can avoid both serious and not-so-serious injuries in boxing is: do not participate in boxing 🙂
While I am happy about Filipino medal prospects, it is sobering to remember that boxing remains a brutal game with a lot of injury risk.
