Olympic Games 27 July - 12 August

The ever-popular men’s Boxing events are joined on the Olympic programme by women’s events for the first time. Dates: Saturday 28 July – Sunday 12 August Venue : ExCeL Competitors : 286 (250 men, 36 women) Medal events : 13 (10 men’s weight categories; three women’s) The basics The 10 men's weight categories range from Light Fly Weight (46-49kg) to Super HeavyWeight (over 91kg). Women’s Boxing featuresas a full Olympic medal sport for the first time, with medals in three weights: Fly Weight (48-51kg), Light Weight (57-60kg) and Middle Weight (69-75kg). Men’s bouts take place over three rounds of three minutes each; women’s bouts are four rounds of two minutes. Boxers score points for every punch they land successfully on their opponent’s head or upper body – judged by five judges sitting outside the boxing ring. If a boxer is knocked to the ground and fails to get up within a count of 10 from the referee, the bout is over. Bouts can also be won or lost due to retirement or disqualification. A refereecan also decide to stop the fight at any point if they think a boxer is unfit to continue. Competition format The Boxing events are run in a simple elimination format. The men’s weight categories have 16, 26 or 28 boxers competing, depending onthe weight. The women start with a draw of 16. The winners of the two semi-finals in each weight category competefor the gold medal. The losers of the semi-finals are each awarded a bronze. Did you know? An Olympic Boxing glove weighs 284 grams (10 ounces). During the Games, competitors will get through 432 pairs of gloves.