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Female boxers have now won the right to fight at the 2012 Olympics in London. The International Olympic Committee made the decision that women would be able to participate for the first time since 1904 when there was a demonstration event during the St Louis Games. Up until now, boxing was the only Olympic game that did not allow women to compete.

The decision came as good news to sportswomen and especially to Jane Couch who had been fighting for this right, however not everybody welcomed the news. Some still have a traditional opinion that boxing is a 'man's sport' and that it is too dangerous for women. Others claim that women's menstrual cycles and hormones make them too unstable to fight, as British boxing authorities declared 12 years ago.

Jane Couch successfully fought the boxing authorities in court in 1998 to obtain a professional boxing licence, and is said to be thrilled at the latest ruling. At the age of 40 she is now retired and has 5 world titles under her belt; she sees this change as a great opportunity for the next generation and regrets that she was not born 15 years later so that she too could compete in the Olympics.

Boxing is an amateur sport at the Olympics, and amateurs must be aged 35 or under. Jane Couch warns that it is the toughest sport in the world and women shouldn't enter into it for fame or fortune; you must be dedicated and prepared to train hard to become a success. She spent years being turned away from boxing gyms for being a woman.

Three different weight classes will be introduced for women in 2012, with one of the 11 weight classes for men being dropped to make room for it. It will now be necessary for all amateur boxers, male or female, to wear groin and head guards. Women have the option of breast pads available for extra safety.

The British Medical Association disapproves of this decision from the IOC, worrying that it will encourage more people to take up this dangerous sport. A life time in the boxing ring is said to cumulate to irreversible brain damage. The famous British boxer Amir Khan agrees that he would not like to see women in the boxing ring in fear that they will get hurt.

Women are winning equality in all areas now, and London escorts are pleased about the equal rights. However they are unlikely to take up boxing themselves!