Why Team GB boxer Delicious Orie does not wear a headguard at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games but women boxers do.
Published 02/08/2024 at 12:16 GMT+1
Women boxing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will be required to wear headguards despite men competing without them. Head protection is not mandatory for men after a study by the Global Sport Institute found that headgear was more likely to cause a concussion. But, with insufficient data gathered on female competitors, it was decided that head protection would remain mandatory for them.
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For the 2024 Olympic Games all women competing in any boxing weight class will fight with a headguard, despite their teammates in the men’s divisions fighting without them.
This is because of rules outlined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Boxing Association (IBA).
Prior to the 2016 Games in Rio, both men and women wore headguards for their safety and to reduce concussions.
The decision was made after the death of professional South Korean Fighter Kim Duk-Koo who died while fighting for the world title.
The IOC and IOA concluded that, as all competitors at the Olympics are amateurs, they must wear head protection for all contests to protect themselves from serious injuries.
But in 2016 this changed following a study by the Global Sport Institute that discovered that boxers competing without headgear were less likely to suffer concussions.
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Patrick James Brown of Team Great Britain in action against Keno Marley Machado of Team Brazil in their Men's 92kg preliminaries round of 16 bout at the North Paris Arena during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Image credit: Getty Images
Immediately, the decision to get rid of headgear at the Olympics was made but, as the study was only conducted on men, it was decided that women would continue to wear headgear at the Games for maximum safety.
How have Team GB performed in the boxing?
Team GB suffered two disappointing losses as both Rosie Eccles and Pat Brown were eliminated by split decisions last Sunday.
Welsh 66kg boxer Eccles fell on the wrong side of a controversial decision, which drew boos from those in attendance, as she lost 3-2 to Aneta Rygielska despite the Pole having a point deducted for holding,
Holding back tears after the fight, Eccles said: “In my mind I won that fight. I don’t know what to say other than I’m grateful for everyone that helped me get here. I appreciate you all and I’m sorry I couldn’t get over the line.
“I felt beyond ready for this. All the anticipation was there, I knew she was a tricky opponent, but I felt I did the job. I stayed disciplined and kept to my game, and I thought I’d done enough.
Later that day, Mancunian Pat Brown was defeated by two-time Olympian and 2021 world silver medalist Keno Machado.
Brown struggled in the opening two rounds, allowing the Brazilian to establish an early lead and win the contest 4-1.
“It didn’t go my way. He’s a good operator, very experienced and I think that could have been the difference. I caught him a bit in the last round but it’s still not good enough,” Brown said.
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“It’s my first proper, major tournament. It had the atmosphere of a massive event, and I didn’t crumble under it, I loved every second.”
“I’ve thought about my cousin, Ross, during this whole process and experience. I qualified for Paris 2024 at the start of March and at the end of that same month he sadly passed away, so I had the biggest high of my life followed by the lowest low and for sure, it had an impact on me, but I feel it’s only made me stronger as a person.”
The disappointment continued as Delicious Orie, one of Britain's best chances at a medal in boxing, lost in the men's super heavyweight round of 16.
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elicious Orie of Team Great Britain punches Davit Chaloyan of Team Armenia during the Men's +92kg preliminary round match between Delicious Orie of Team Great Britain and Davit Chaloyan of Team Armenia on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at North Paris Arena on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France.
Image credit: Getty Images
Going into the final round, two judges had Orie ahead of Armenia's Davit Chaloyan by two rounds, meaning the Brit only had to convince one judge that he was the better man in round 3.
However, despite many thinking Orie won the last round, the judges disagreed and the talented 27-year-old lost the fight by a 3-2 split decision.
After three controversial decisions leading to British losses, Chantelle Reid suffered another narrow loss on Wednesday to Moroccan Khadija Mardi in the women's 75kg division.
The judges handed the Moroccan a 3-2 victory to leave no British women in the hunt for a medal.
But Cindy Ngamba, who represents the Refugee Olympic Team and trains alongside Team GB, progressed to the quarter-finals with a split decision victory over Canada's Amanda Thibeault. Ngamba, who is from Cameroon, is based in Bolton and has lived in England for 15 years, and she credited her victory to GB Boxing.
"They’ve been by my side ever since I joined the Sheffield English Institute [of Sport]," she said.
“They got hold of the refugee team and they’re the one who gave me the hope and the belief and they’ve been by my side through thick and thin and I just want to give it to them."
Ngamba will face France's Davina Michel on Sunday 4 August.
Which GB boxers could still win a medal?
Five out of six Team GB boxers exited in the first round, a far cry from the six-medal haul enjoyed in Tokyo 2020.
But Lewis Richardson saved the day for GB on Wednesday, booking his spot in the quarter-finals with a split-decision victory over Serbia's Vakhid Abbasov.
Richardson won 3-2 against the former European champion in the 71kg division and will face Zeyad Eashash of Jordan in the next round as he bids to keep Team GB's medal hopes alive.
Richardson is competing on his Olympic debut after stress fractures in his back ruled him out of the Tokyo Games, and he had to drop a weight class in order to compete when the 75kg division was removed.
"I'm over the moon to get the first victory out of the way," he said to BBC Sport after his win. "I'm extremely happy and extremely proud of myself for making it happen.
"I've come through a lot of adversity to even be at these Olympic Games, obstacles in my way that made the majority of people think the Olympic dream wasn't meant to be for me. We made it happen."
Richardson's bout with Eashash will take place at 19:30 on Saturday, August 3, live on Eurosport and discovery+.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
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