Date 5 to 9 August | Competitors 12 from 12 nations | |
Venue | ||
The women's lightweight boxing competition at the 2012 Olympic Games in London was held from 5 to 9 August at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre.
Contents
For the first time at an Olympic Games, the 10 men's boxing events were joined by three women's events: flyweight, middleweight and lightweight.
Katie Taylor from Ireland won the gold medal — the first of the 2012 Games for the country. Taylor defeated Russia's Sofya Ochigava in the final.
Bronze medals were awarded to both semi-final losers: Adriana Araujo from Brazil and Mavzuna Chorieva from Tajikistan — the latter being the country's only medal at the 2012 Games.
Competition format
The competition consisted of a single-elimination tournament. Bronze medals were awarded to both semi-final losers. Bouts were four rounds of two minutes each.
Schedule
All times are British Summer Time (UTC+01:00)
International media coverage of Taylor
Some international media coverage of Ireland's Katie Taylor was criticised as insulting and inaccurate. While previewing her semi-final bout, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph incorrectly referred to Taylor as "British". The error was followed by an apology.
Fairfax Media of Australia also apologised after an article published in The Age, Brisbane Times and The Sydney Morning Herald was condemned as "lazy stereotyping" of the Irish. Ireland's ambassador to Australia, Noel White, issued a formal complaint about the article's reliance on Guinness, whiskey and potatoes to make a story.
USA Today was criticised after it printed an article which said: "Back home on the emerald-green isle, pints of Guinness flowed freely, perhaps enough to replenish the Irish Sea. The 'punters' inside betting parlors wagered pounds as if they were bits of candy. It is not hyperbole to suggest that, when Taylor entered the ring, the weight of a prideful, scuffling nation rested on her muscular shoulders."
Australian commentator Russell Barwick provoked outrage while on ESPN by comparing Team Ireland's independence from Team GB to Tasmanian athletes not performing for Australia.