Boxing: After headguards, vests next on Olympic hit list (Reuters)

By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) – Male boxers will step into the ring without headguards at the Rio Olympics for the first time since the 1980 Moscow Games, and their vests could be next on the hit list. “The removal of vests (from the ring) is a proposal we are looking at,” a spokesman for governing body AIBA told Reuters in response to a query. “It has to be approved by the relevant AIBA commission and approved by the executive committee and then we will present this request to the IOC (International Olympic Committee).” Unlike professionals, who fight bare-chested, Olympic boxers have always worn tops — possibly for reasons of decency in the early days although they also protected against rope burn and absorb sweat.
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