'Cuba, the Boxing Powerhouse, Allows Female Athletes to Compete for the First Time in 63 Years'

Female athletes banned from competitions after 1959 revolution
All professional sports prohibited since 1962
Female athletes allowed to compete since last April

The appearance of athletes boxing

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Junran] Cuba, the world's strongest nation in amateur boxing, has allowed female athletes to participate in competitions for the first time in 63 years, Reuters reported on the 6th (Korean time).

According to Reuters, since Fidel Castro, former Chairman of the National Council, succeeded in the revolution in 1959, Cuban female boxing athletes were not allowed to compete in tournaments. Therefore, Cuban female athletes had no choice but to defect if they wanted to participate in the Olympics.

Cuba has won 41 gold medals in Olympic boxing since the 1972 Munich Olympics. After the communist revolution, the Cuban government banned all professional sports starting in 1962, preventing athletes from competing on the world stage. Many Cuban boxing athletes chose to defect to turn professional, leading to a loss of talented players to foreign countries.

Having lost competitiveness due to the outflow of athletes, Cuba eventually allowed amateur athletes to turn professional last April. Opening the door for female athletes to participate in competitions also appears to be a measure to strengthen competitiveness.

Ariel Sainz, Vice President of the Cuban Sports Association Research Institute, expressed expectations, saying, "Cuban women's boxing will bring us medals in international competitions." He explained that the recent enactment of family law in Cuba to eliminate discrimination served as the legal basis for this measure.

Alberto Puig, President of the Cuban Boxing Federation, welcomed the move, saying, "We will recover the lost time." Regnis Carla, a Cuban female boxing athlete who can now participate in competitions, said, "Finally, our dream has come true."