"If the International Olympic Committee Says So, it Must be Right…"
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set an excellent example of how important it is to choose the right boxing equipment. There was a time when the IOC was under intense pressure to ban boxing as an Olympic sport because of the number of boxers suffering extensive brain damage as a result of too many blows to the head. The IOC ordered the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) to conduct rigorous tests on all protective boxing equipment in order to determine the real risks of the sport.
Because of the injury concerns and the visibility the Olympic Committee created for the boxing world, AIBA immediately mandated the use of head guards for all competitors, and began a series of tests on the boxing head guards and boxing gloves of the day. The tests were conducted at the automobile safety testing facility at the Technical University of Berlin on all equipment voluntarily submitted for testing. The objectives was to test each piece of equipment on two primary metrics.
1. their ability to absorb shock (protect the wearer from injury)
2. the durability of the materials from which they were made provide consistent protection over time)
The results were surprising and impressive. Out of the pack, one brand of headgear stood out in its performance…TOP TEN®.