GIRL POWER - WOMEN'S BOXING

By Gerry Ramos

PROSPECT of the country winning gold medals in the Asian Games gained ground last week after the Asiad organizing committee finally decided to include women’s boxing in the meet’s calendar of events which Guangzhou, China is hosting in November.

Li Xiaofeng, senior official of the Guangzhou Asiad organizing committee, said in a statement that the decision was made in conjunction with the Olympic Council of Asia.

Women’s boxing makes its debut in the Olympics during the 2012 London Games.

Team Philippines Chef De Mission to the Asiad Joey Romasanta definitely welcomes the new development, which he said, all the more enhances the Filipinos’ bid to win more gold medals.

“The inclusion of women’s boxing definitely gives the Philippines a lot of opportunities in terms of improving our chances of winning gold medals and in surpassing our showing during the 2006 Doha Asian Games,” said Romasanta, also spokesperson of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

The country bagged a total of four gold medals in the Doha Asiad four years ago through boxers Violito Payla and Joan Tipon, pool player Antonio Gabica and wushu artist Rene Catalan.

The Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) under president Ricky Vargas, felt ecstatic about the matter, especially in the light of the success women’s boxing achieved in the recent Southeast Asian Games in Laos.

“We are so excited. We know very well that we have a good chance in women’s boxing. Our women boxers are all determined and focused,” said ABAP secretary-general Patrick `Pato’ Gregorio.

Expected to lead the country’s charge in the sport is Asian Indoor Games gold medal winner Annie Albania, who also accounted for one of three golds the lady boxers won in the 25th edition of the SEA Games along with Josie Gabuco and Alice Kate Aparri.

Mitchel Martinez won a silver medal in the Laos SEA Games.

“We had no doubt it (women’s boxing) would be included in the Asian Games,” said ABAP executive director Ed Picson. “The AIBA has been actively pushing for it. This just makes us more inspired to strengthen our program to discover more female boxers.”

ABAP chairman Manny V. Pangilinan has dangled a P3 million cash incentive to any boxer – men or women – who will win a gold in the Guangzhou Asiad.

The Asian Games and the Olympics, will have three categories in women’s boxing -- flyweight, lightweight and middleweight.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge is a strong advocate of women's boxing and he pushed through the decision to make it an Olympic sport last year.

Women's boxing, which first came to prominence in England in 1720, appeared as a demonstration sport at the 1904 Olympics, but did not reappear on the radar until a vain attempt to have it introduced into the Games failed in 2005.

The Asian Games, the second-largest sports event in the world after the Summer Olympics, will be held in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou from November 12-27.

More than 14,000 athletes, trainers and coaches from 45 countries and regions will compete in 42 sports.