The London 2012 Summer Olympics first included women’s boxing as an official medal sport.
Women competed in three boxing weight classes in London: flyweight, lightweight and middleweight. The addition meant that boxing, one of the oldest Olympic sports, finally had a women’s medal competition. Men’s boxing had been part of the modern Olympic program since 1904, although it was absent from the 1912 Games because Swedish law prohibited the sport.
The 2012 women’s boxing tournament awarded 36 medals across its three divisions. Great Britain’s Nicola Adams won the inaugural Olympic women’s flyweight title, becoming one of the most recognizable pioneers of the event. Claressa Shields of the United States won middleweight gold, while Ireland’s Katie Taylor took lightweight gold.
Women’s boxing had appeared earlier at some national and demonstration events, but those appearances were not the same as an official Olympic medal sport. At Paris 2024, women’s boxing remained on the program with six weight divisions.