(MAR 3) Female boxers from Cuba have been making recent headlines as they continue to strive for the right to compete in the Olympics as their male counterparts.

The Cuban male boxers have won more Olympic boxing medals than fighters from any other country, and now female boxers from Cuba want to have the opportunity to fight in the Olympics and to represent their country in the sport, and they would like the government to support them in having a history-first Cuban female boxing team.

Idamelys Moreno dispels the idea that women boxers are made for beauty, not taking punches as what has been said by others in her country, and she recently remarked, "I see myself at the Olympics in Japan 2020, that is my dream."  She and a handful of women boxers from her country want that opportunity.

Moreno, as many other female boxers in other parts of the world related a familiar sounding story, that there was an incident that had happened once, when she and about 12 other female boxers working out at a local gym, were thrown out of the gym after the sports official found out about them training in that gym. Moreno said, she recalled this said at that time, "Listen, sir, women cannot be here because female boxing is not allowed."

Legnis Cala, a 25-year-old, said, "My mom says it's a violent sport, but there are women in other countries who also box … And if they give us permission, I think we'll also make it."

In a recent story and video on the women boxers in Cuba, they showed coverage of Olympic silver medalist Emilio Correa Jr. stepping in to help these women boxers find another gym, while they continue to push the top Cuban officials to support women in the sport.

 

Apparently, according to the AP article, they reported that the government so far appears to be unconvinced, and that Officials said they are analyzing the proposal and carrying out medical studies to understand what impact blows do to a female's body and whether such action is appropriate.