Boxing factbox for Athens 2004

ATHENS, July 7 (Reuters) -- Factbox on boxing at the August 13-29 Athens Olympics:

HISTORY

Boxing is one of the oldest sports. It was part of the original Olympics, although by modern standards the ancient Greek version was brutal: boxers were not matched by weight, and bouts went on uninterrupted until one fighter was knocked out or admitted defeat by raising his hand.

Boxing has been part of the modern Olympics since the 1904 St Louis Games. Since then, there have been numerous changes to its rules, including several revisions of the weight categories.

Five ringside judges were introduced in 1960 to score matches. In 1992, electronic scoring was brought in as part of a package of reforms to judging which had been mired in controversy in 1988's competition.

Boxing is one of the last Olympic sports to admit only amateurs, although many previous champions have gone on to become successful professionals, including Muhammad Ali, who as Cassius Clay won 1960's light-heavyweight gold medal in Rome.

Unlike in professional boxing, Olympic boxers must wear headguards.

EVENTS

Although there have been women's boxing competitions since the 1990s, only men compete in Olympic boxing. As in ancient times, Olympic boxing is unseeded, with boxing pairs drawn by lot. Fighters must be between 17 and 34 years old.

Two hundred and eighty-six boxers, fighting in 11 weight categories, will take part in the Athens Olympics.

2000 CHAMPIONS

Light-flyweight (under 48kg): Brahim Asloum (France)

Flyweight (51kg): Wijan Ponlid (Thailand)

Bantamweight (54kg): Guillermo Rigondeaux (Cuba)

Featherweight (57kg): Bekzat Sattarkhanov (Kazakhstan)

Lightweight (60kg): Mario Kindelan (Cuba)

Light-welterweight (63.5kg): Mahamadkadyz Abdullaev

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(Uzbekistan)

Welterweight (67kg): Oleg Saitov (Russia)

Light-middleweight (71kg): Yermakhan Ibraimov (Kazakhstan)

Middleweight (75kg): Jorge Gutierrez (Cuba)

Light-heavyweight (81kg): Alexander Lebziak (Russia)

Heavyweight (91kg): Felix Savon (Cuba)

Super-heavyweight (over 91kg): Audley Harrison (Britain)

OLYMPIC PROGRAMME

August 14: Middleweight and light-heavyweight preliminaries

August 15: Light-welterweight and welterweight preliminaries

August 16: Featherweight and lightweight preliminaries

August 17: Flyweight and bantamweight preliminaries

August 18: Light-flyweight, heavyweight and

super-heavyweight preliminaries

August 19: Welterweight, light-heavyweight and

light-welterweight preliminaries

August 20: Featherweight, lightweight and bantamweight

preliminaries

August 21: Flyweight, light-flyweight and middleweight

preliminaries

August 22: Light-welterweight, welterweight and heavyweight

quarter-finals

August 23: Bantamweight, featherweight and super-heavyweight

quarter-finals

August 24: Light-flyweight, lightweight and

light-heavyweight quarter-finals

August 25: Flyweight and middleweight quarter-finals

August 27: Semi-finals in all categories

August 28: Flyweight, featherweight, light-welterweight,

middleweight and heavyweight finals

August 29: Light-flyweight, bantamweight, lightweight,

welterweight, light-heavyweight and

super-heavyweight finals

VENUE

Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall in Peristeri, an Athens

suburb. The hall seats 8,200.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

www.aiba.net

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