25 female pugilists are preparing for their bouts in gruelling training sessions

Muslim women boxers to wear hijab at 2012 Olympics


Girls spar during the Saturday's training session at the Kabul Central Stadium

Marie Woolf, Whitehall Editor
1 Comment

THE burqa boxers are coming. Young women are training in Afghanistan to fight in Islamic dress at the 2012 London Olympics.

Wearing hijabs beneath their headguards and clothes that cover their bodies, 25 female pugilists are preparing for their bouts in gruelling training sessions at Kabul’s Olympic stadium, once the scene of public executions by the Taliban.

The team, whose ages range from 14-25, were recruited by their coach, Fadir Sharify, a former professional boxer. He persuaded the girls’ families that it would not be inappropriate for them to take to the ring.

The 2012 summer Games will be the first time women have been allowed to box under the Olympic banner.

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The International Boxing Association (IBA), which regulates the sport, said the women could observe religious dress requirements providing their faces were uncovered so the judges could record the number of punches they received. They must also wear breast guards beneath their outfits.

“At the moment there is nothing preventing women boxers from wearing full Islamic dress. Obviously, religious requirements should be taken into account and we want to be as inclusive as we can,â€