2012 Olympics in London Will Debut Women's Boxing

Boxing, always seen as a man's sport in the Olympic world, will now broaden its reach in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Women will now have a chance to chase the gold medal for the first time in history.

This historic decision is a literal dream come true for India's Mary Kom.

"A dream come true. At first I could not believe my ears," remarked Mary Kom. "But when it was confirmed, I was so happy. I have won everything that could be won, but it was the Olympic gold medal that still eluded me. Now it's a dream come true for me to get the chance to represent my nation at the Olympic Games when I am at the peak of my career."

As a five-time world champion, Kom is not wrong that she has won everything but the Olympics. Bringing women's boxing to the 2012 Games will give her the chance to take her talents one step further, and further than she would have ever been able to before.

As a fan of the country of India in general, I have watched Mary Kom for a long time and feel like I have sort of followed her on her journey to the Olympics. Of course, I will be cheering on the United States -- especially if fellow Ohioan N'yteeyah Sherman makes it in -- but I will also be cheering for Kom because I always have. For Kom, this is a chance to truly finish what she started. She came from some very humble beginnings, so once she won all of the available competitions, it was like hitting a brick wall. Now, she can finish living out her dream. This is true for many of the best female boxers throughout the world. They no longer have to sit back and watch their sport play out in the Olympics. They now get to be a part of it.

"The historic decision to include women's boxing in London 2012 dates back to 13 August 2009, when, following an IOC executive board meeting, IOC President Jacques Rogge announced that the sport would be added to the Olympic programme," reports Digital Journal.

Aside from the skirt controversy that female boxers are fighting right now, most seem very excited to see this sport added to the 2012 Olympics in London. With this added, now all Olympic sports will have both men and women competing in them. This means that none of the sports are just men now. All Olympic sports are fully integrated. Of course, the women will only be boxing each other, but 2012 will be the year of full equality in the Olympics. Women have been wanting and fighting for this for a really long time so it is very refreshing to finally see it come to fruition.

We know that the women who will be boxing in the 2012 Olympic Games will bring great excitement to the competition. Mary Kom will be in the flyweight category competing against the best women in the world, within that category. I am excited to watch her because her talent in the ring is exceptional, but the Olympics is certainly a whole other ballgame, though I am sure she is thoroughly preparing and will definitely impress India, London and the rest of the world. She has obviously boxed against some of the best already, but the Olympics really brings a new level of competition and edge with it. The women who will be competing will almost literally be out for blood. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

"My aim is to win gold in London and I am training harder than ever," Kom says. "I am aware of the billion hopes I am carrying. I can't let the people of India down. What I am most looking forward to is to becoming the first woman boxer to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games."

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen is a former competitive athlete, current coach and has an educational background in health, fitness and medicine. When she isn't catching up on the latest games or writing about the latest news, she can be found on the court or field improving her own game.