Christy Halbert
“Especially for women athletes, sport can offer a safe place where, for a match or a game, we don’t worry about conforming,” Dr. Christy Halbert observes. She speaks from experience. Halbert is the leading expert on women’s boxing, a sociologist, an elite-level coach of four multiple-time U.S. champions, and a passionate advocate for female athletes. Last year, in recognition of her pioneering work in women’s boxing, she received the prestigious Olympic Torch Award from the U.S. Olympic Committee, an honor given to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the Olympic movement in this country. Halbert was the driving force behind the debut of women’s boxing in the 2012 Summer Olympics, a historic first. Her dedication stems from a strong belief that sport is both self-definition and a crucial part of the women’s movement. She believes that Olympic boxing is a matter of social justice. Thanks to her, the Games of the XXX Olympiad will be the first in history to include men and women in all sports. She hopes that others will discover the transformative power of Olympic-style boxing.
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