Women’s boxing, which will be included in the London Olympics for the first time in 2012, is one of the sport’s biggest growth areas.
According to Sport England’s Active People survey, 37,000 women are now regular participants. The number of registered female boxers in the UK has risen from 50 in 2005 to more than 642 this year. Rebecca Gibson, head of development at the Amateur Boxing Association of England, said in the past year the biggest increase in registered boxers had been among girls aged between 11 and 17.
“Girls are in a position where they want more choices and as sport becomes more accessible, boxing is appealing to more of them,” she said.
“They want something different and that is what boxing offers. Many women find it an empowering activity,” Gibson said.
Lesley Sackey, 27, from London started boxing three years ago and now represents England. She is one of a handful of women in contention for a place on the 2012 women’s Olympic team.
“A few years ago, a friend of my dad’s suggested it as a way to keep fit. It was a shock to my system at first because it is incredibly hard training, but now I have definitely got the bug,” she said.
Sackey trains six days a week and recently attended a selection camp for the women’s Olympic team. She will find out in the next few days if she has made the provisional squad.
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