City and date

The 2016 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships took place in Astana, Kazakhstan from May 19 to 27. Astana is the northernmost capital city in Asia. The city currently makes up more than 722 square kilometres and consists of three districts - Almaty, Saryarka and Yesil District. It has a population of nearly 853,000 people.

Venue

The Barys Arena played host to the 2016 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. Opened in 2015, the total area of the complex is 86,000 square metres. It features two ice skating and a 50-metre Olympic swimming pool, and can be transformed for other sports events and concerts. The main hall’s capacity is approximately 12,000.

Boxers

A total of 314 boxers from 71 countries registered for the 2016 edition, including past champions such as Ireland’s Katie Taylor and the United States’ Claressa Shields, the London 2012 lightweight and middleweight gold medallists respectively. China’s Ren Cancan, the London 2012 flyweight silver medallist, is another former winner who will be competing.

Olympic Games quota

A total of 12 quota places were available for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games during the Championships - four at each of the three Olympic weight classes; flyweight, lightweight and middleweight.

Ambassadors

The 2016 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships was seen as the perfect platform for the promotion of women’s boxing and establishing it as an integral part of AIBA’s vision in the build-up to Rio 2016. Ambassadors of the event include boxers and referees and judges. British flyweight Nicola Adams, the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title when she won gold at London 2012, heads a six-strong boxer list. It also features India’s Mary Kom and America’s Marlen Esparza, the two flyweight bronze medallists at London 2012, as well as Brazil’s Adriana Araujo, a lightweight bronze medallist at London 2012. Completing the list of boxers is Bulgaria's Stanimira Petrova, the 2014 AIBA world bantamweight champion, and Moroccan middleweight Khadija Mardi. Algeria’s Kheira Sidi Yakoub, the first female five-star official from AIBA, and Canada’s Jennifer Huggins, a three-star AIBA referee, are also ambassadors.

Medals

With a design mimicking ancient Kazakh zoomorphic patterns, the gold, silver and bronze medals represent Scythian art - a decoration traditionally used to deliver power, good luck and protection to the wearer. Made of Italian enamel, they feature the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships logo on the front and both the AIBA and the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation logos on the back. A total of 40 medals will be won in 10 weight divisions during the nine days of competition. All 10 champions will receive a medal covered in an alloy containing real gold and weighing approximately 110 grams.

Mascot

It is claimed that Maya the squirrel is quick and elegant, much like all the registered female fighters, and represents the speed, grace and beauty of women’s boxing.