Did they just say 'skirt'?

I've been participating in athletics and sports since I was a kid playing kickball with the boys on the playground. As I got older, I gravitated to various Asian martial art disciplines, the practice of which impacts my fitness and flexibility to this day. It didn't strike me as odd that a young woman wanted to do these things, and I wore the same uniforms as the men did. I had to change in a different room and I couldn't just strip my shirt off at the end of a workout session, no big deal; no one cared.

With an Olympic year approaching, women will be allowed to box for the first time! Cool, huh? I'm really excited to watch the men's and women's tae kwon do and judo competitions, as well.

So, enter the Amateur International Boxing Commission. They want the female boxers to wear skirts. Skirts! It would be one thing if skirts were a part of the traditional uniform, like for field hockey, but they aren't. The Commission's reasoning for this is "It will make the women easier to distinguish from the men, as if the completely different bodies wasn't enough. Poland adopted the uniform, calling the uniforms more 'elegant' and 'womanly.'" You mean, the different body shape, slimmer musculature, etc. won't be enough?! For the Olympic sports of fencing, tae kwon do, and judo (all "combat" sports) the women wear the same uniform as the men, it's practical!

Boxers have always worn shorts or "trunks". They're practical, they cover what they need to cover, the athlete can move in them, what's the problem? And, heaven knows men mustn't think women have *gasp* hips or thighs. Am I also incorrect in thinking that giving the ring-side judges a view is inappropriate?

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.