| Size: | 150 |
| Code: | BOX |
| Sport: | boxing |
| Menevents: | 7 |
| Womenevents: | 6 |
Boxing has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since its introduction to the program at the 1904 Summer Olympics, except for the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, because Swedish law banned the sport at the time.[1] The 2008 Summer Olympics were the final games with boxing as a male only event. Since the 2012 Summer Olympics, women's boxing is part of the program.[2]
| valign=top |
|
Boxing made its first appearance at the 1904 Summer Olympics as a men's event. Due to few competitors at the time, only North American boxers competed for this edition.[3] Since the 1908 Olympics, boxing has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games besides the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, because Swedish law banned the martial arts at the time.[1]
Until 1948, losing semi-finalists competed in a match for a bronze medal. However, in 1950 the International Boxing Association (IBA) decided to discontinue the bronze medal match as the short time interval between the semi-finals and the third-place match allowed limited time for competitors to recover. In 1970, the IBA proposed for both losing semi-finalists to receive a bronze medals, which was accepted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and implemented since the 1972 Summer Olympics. Losing semi-finalists from 1952 to 1968 were also retroactively awarded bronze medals after initially only receiving Olympic diplomas.[4] [5]
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, women's boxing events were added to the programme for the first time.[2]
In 2016, the IBA allowed professional boxers to compete in Olympic events, previously being limited to amateur or state-funded boxers, for the first time.[6] [7]
The boxing competition is organized as a set of tournaments, one for each weight class. The number of weight classes has changed over the years (currently 7 for men and 6 for women), and the definition of each class has changed several times, as shown in the following table. Until 1936, weights were measured in pounds, and from 1948 onwards, weights were measured in kilograms.
On 23 March 2013, the International Boxing Association instituted significant changes to the format. The World Series of Boxing, AIBA's pro team league which started in 2010, already enabled team members to retain 2012 Olympic eligibility. The newer AIBA Pro Boxing Tournament, consisting of boxers who sign 5-year contracts with AIBA and compete on pro cards leading up to the tournament, also provides a pathway for new pros to retain their Olympic eligibility and retain ties with national committees.[8] [9]
From the 2016 Summer Olympics, male athletes no longer have to wear protective headgear in competition, due to a ruling by the AIBA and the IOC that it contributes to greater concussion risk. Female athletes will continue to wear the headgear, due to "lack of data" on the effectiveness of it on women.[10] Also from 2016 onwards, the "10-point must" scoring system was used.[8]
| 1904 | 1908 | 1920–1936 | 1948 | 1952–1964 | 1968–1980 | 1984–2000 | 2004–2008[11] | 2012–2016[12] | 2020[13] | 2024[14] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight +158 lb (+71.7 kg)< | -- 1920–1936 --> | Heavyweight +175 lb (+79.4 kg)< | -- 1948 --> | Heavyweight +80 kg< | -- 1952–1964; 1968–1980 --> | Heavyweight +81 kg< | -- 1984–2000; 2004–2008; 2012–2016; 2020 --> | Super heavyweight +91 kg< | -- 2024 --> | Super heavyweight +92 kg | |
| Heavyweight 80–92 kg | |||||||||||
| Heavyweight 81–91 kg | |||||||||||
| Light heavyweight 75–81 kg | |||||||||||
| Light heavyweight 73–80 kg< | -- 2024 --> | Light heavyweight 71–80 kg | |||||||||
| Light heavyweight 160–175 lb (72.6–79.4 kg) | |||||||||||
| Middleweight 71–75 kg< | -- 2004–2008; 2012–2016; 2020 --> | Middleweight 69–75 kg | |||||||||
| Middleweight 67–73 kg | |||||||||||
| Middleweight 147–160 lb (66.7–72.6 kg) | |||||||||||
| Middleweight 145–158 lb (65.8–71.7 kg)< | -- 1908 --> | Middleweight 140–158 lb (63.5–71.7 kg) | |||||||||
| Light middleweight 67–71 kg< | -- 2024 --> | Welterweight 63.5–71 kg | |||||||||
| Welterweight 64–69 kg< | -- 2020 --> | Welterweight 63–69 kg | |||||||||
| Welterweight 62–67 kg< | -- 1952–1964; 1968–1980; 1984–2000 --> | Welterweight 63.5–67 kg | |||||||||
| Welterweight 135–147 lb (61.2–66.7 kg) | |||||||||||
| Welterweight 135–145 lb (61.2–65.8 kg) | |||||||||||
| Light welterweight 60–64 kg | |||||||||||
| Lightweight 126–140 lb (57.2–63.5 kg)< | -- 1952–1964; 1968–1980; 1984–2000 --> | Light welterweight 60–63.5 kg< | -- 2024 --> | Lightweight 57–63.5 kg | |||||||
| Lightweight 57–63 kg | |||||||||||
| Lightweight 58–62 kg | |||||||||||
| Lightweight 125–135 lb (56.7–61.2 kg)< | -- 1920–1936 --> | Lightweight 126–135 lb (57.2–61.2 kg) | |||||||||
| Lightweight 57–60 kg< | -- 2012–2016 --> | Lightweight 56–60 kg | |||||||||
| Featherweight 54–58 kg | |||||||||||
| Featherweight 116–126 lb (52.6–57.2 kg)< | -- 1920–1936 --> | Featherweight 118–126 lb (53.5–57.2 kg) | |||||||||
| Featherweight 54–57 kg< | -- 2020 --> | Featherweight 52–57 kg< | -- 2024 --> | Featherweight 51–57 kg | |||||||
| Featherweight 115–125 lb (52.2–56.7 kg) | |||||||||||
| Bantamweight 52–56 kg | |||||||||||
| Bantamweight 51–54 kg | |||||||||||
| Bantamweight 112–118 lb (50.8–53.5 kg) | |||||||||||
| Bantamweight –116 lb (–52.6 kg) | |||||||||||
| Bantamweight 105–115 lb (47.6–52.2 kg) | |||||||||||
| Flyweight 49–52 kg< | -- 2020 --> | Flyweight 48–52 kg | |||||||||
| Flyweight –51 kg< | -- 1968–1980; 1984–2000; 2004–2008 --> | Flyweight 48–51 kg< | -- 2024 --> | Flyweight –51 kg | |||||||
| Flyweight –112 lb (–50.8 kg) | |||||||||||
| Light flyweight 46–49 kg | |||||||||||
| Light-Flyweight –48 kg | |||||||||||
| Flyweight –105 lb (–47.6 kg) | |||||||||||
| 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| 1904 | 2012–2016 | 2020 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| demonstration bout | Middleweight 69–75 kg | Middleweight 66–75 kg | ||
| rowspan=2 | Welterweight 64–69 kg | |||
| Welterweight 60–66 kg | ||||
| Lightweight 57–60 kg | ||||
| rowspan=2 | Featherweight 54–57 kg | |||
| Bantanweight 50–54 kg | ||||
| Flyweight 48–51 kg | ||||
| Flyweight -50 kg | ||||
| 3 | 5 | 6 | ||
The following table is ranked by the number of golds, then silvers, then bronzes.[15] Until 1948, losing semi-finalists held a bronze medal playoff; since 1952, both losing semi-finalists have received bronze medals.
As of the 2024 Summer Olympics, considering stripped and reallocated medals as of 31 December 2021.
| No. of nations | - | - | 1 | 4 | - | 12 | 27 | 29 | 18 | 31 | 39 | 43 | 34 | 54 | 56 | 65 | 80 | 54 | 51 | 81 | 106 | 78 | 97 | 75 | 72 | 77 | 77 | 74 | 81 | 68 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of boxers | - | - | 18 | 42 | - | 116 | 181 | 144 | 85 | 179 | 205 | 249 | 161 | 281 | 269 | 307 | 354 | 266 | 271 | 354 | 432 | 336 | 355 | 307 | 280 | 283 | 283 | 286 | 289 | 248 | |