2016: Why Olympic Boxers Aren't Wearing Headgear Anymore
SOMETHING IS MISSING from Olympics boxing this year. Did you notice? It’s lot easier to see the faces of male boxers---taunting, grimacing, or smiling in all their Olympian glory. This year, the Olympics ditched boxing headgear for the first time since 1984, making it look a lot more like professional boxing.
The decision, according to statements from amateur boxing’s governing organization---the International Boxing Association, or AIBA---came down to safety. Counterintuitively, referees had to stop matches for head injuries (aka likely concussions) more often when boxers were wearing headgear, according to an AIBA study. But whether ditching headgear actually makes boxers safer---especially from non-concussion injuries---is, well, more complicated.
“This rule change was rather surprising for lot of people. There’s still lot of research that needs to be done,” says Cynthia Bir, a University of Southern California biomechanics researcher who has evaluated boxing equipment for USA Boxing. In fact, female Olympians will still be wearing headgear in boxing, due to lack of safety data. (AIBA did not respond to requests for comment.)
However unsettled the science of boxing headgear may be, pros have a good reason to not use headgear. “They’re trying to promote their brand,” says Bir. “Their face is their brand.”
https://www.wired.com/2016/08/olympic-boxers-arent-wearing-headgear-anymore
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