Boxing 

cctv.com 07-18-2004 18:18

The sport of boxing was never intrinsically linked with aggressive attack and heavy hitting. According to Dion, a historian, since ancient times people “did not consider beating and quarelling to be evidence of bravery". To the contrary, the aim of the 'un-injured' (atravmatistos) athlete in ancient Greece was the constant defense and the avoidance of blows, until his opponent was exhausted in attack and was led to 'apagorefsi', namely surrender by raising either one or two fingers, a sign that he acknowledged his defeat. A boxer called Melagomas from Karia in Asia Minor was famous in ancient times for this ‘un-injured’ style of boxing. He was able to avoid his opponents' blows and defend himself for two days, until his opponents conceded defeat.

Description

Only male boxers participate in the Olympic Games. Women's official boxing bouts first appeared in 1993 but have not been yet included in the official Olympic programme. They must be at least 17 years old and no older than 34. Boxing pairs are drawn by lot, just as in ancient times, according to their respective weight category. Each boxing bout lasts four rounds of two minutes each, with a one-minute break between each round. A score is marked when the athlete hits his opponent at the front part of the head or on the upper part of the body - above the belt line. However, the score is registered only when at least three of the five judges acknowledge the hit simultaneously.

The total number of valid points at the end of the fourth round determine the winner. If there are an equal number of points at the end of the match, then the best and worst total score given amongst the five judges are deducted. The winner is the one who is left with the most points from the remaining three judges.

ATHENS 2004 Boxing

The Olympic Boxing competition will last 15 competition days, from 14 to 29 August, with one rest day on August 26th. There are one or two sessions in every competition day. The first period has been programmed to start at 13:30 and end at 16:30, and the second to start at 19:30 and end at 22:30. Boxing will be hosted at the Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall.

History

The deep roots of boxing in Greek history are demonstrated by the famous fresco of the two young boxers found in Santorini Island, dating from 1,600 B.C. In the ancient Olympic Games boxing was established as an Olympic sport at the 23rd Olympiad in 688 B.C., with the first Olympic winner being Onomastos Smyrnaios. The 'aethloforos' (achiever of great feats) Polidefkis was also considered to be a technically skilled and multi-talented athlete. According to the legend, god Apollo was the guardian of the sport, as was indeed mentioned in a Homeric hymn: …"wherever (in Delos) the Ionians gather with their long tunics to honor you, along with their children and modest wives, with every event they organize they please you (Apollo) with boxing, joy and songs".

During that same period Boxing developed considerably in ancient Greece, from Crete and Santorini down to Cyprus and throughout the Aegean region, to Athens and Sparta. Later Confucius promoted the art of Boxing in China, where schools practiced the sport in order to achieve “inner perfection”. Professional boxers first appeared in ancient Rome, where they would train in organised facilities.

Countries such as Egypt, Armenia, Korea, USA, Cuba and Russia, which organised important official competitions and produced excellent boxers, provide evidence of the global development experienced by boxing.

In the modern era the rules of Boxing were developed in Great Britain (18th century). The renowned 'Queensbury' rules set the duration of each round to three minutes and introduced the countdown to 10 to acknowledge a knockout. This round duration was later altered to four rounds of two minutes per round and the countdown to eight.

The sport spread to the USA and then to the rest of Europe at the start of the 20th century and was included in the competition programme of the modern Olympic Games in 1904, at Saint Louis. Since then only amateur athletes are allowed to participate in Olympic Games. Olympic level Boxing has differences compared to professional Boxing. The most obvious difference is that the amateur boxers wear protective head-gear (a head guard), and that the bout is governed by stricter rules.

Boxing is supervised by the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA), founded in 1946 in London and currently based in Lausanne.

Organised boxing bouts in Greece appeared in the pre-Second World War years, while its official recognition as a sport by the state came with the founding in 1952 of the Hellenic Boxing Federation (also known by its Greek initials E.O.P.). National and club tournaments take place every year, as well as two established international tournaments: the 'ALEXANDREIA' games which are held every autumn in Thessaloniki and the 'ACROPOLIS' Cup in Athens every Spring, in both cases presenting numerous participating countries.

The Hellenic Boxing Federation has also successfully organised major sporting events such as Men's Senior European Boxing Championship in Athens in 1989, European Junior (under 19) Championships in Thessaloniki in 1993, and European CADET (Under-17) Championships in Athens in the year 2000. Furthermore, Senior, Junior and Balkan championships have been organised in Patras in 1990 and 1987, in Thessaloniki in 1982 and in Athens in 1983.

Source:The official website of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Editor:Wang  Source:CCTV.com