The International Boxing Association (IBA), which regulates the sport, said the women could observe religious dress requirements providing their faces were uncovered so the judges could record the number of punches they received. They must also wear breast guards beneath their outfits…

The Afghan team is being sponsored by Oxfam as part of a project designed to promote peace and women’s rights. “In a country ravaged by 30 years of war and run by a conservative male-dominated society, these female boxers are Afghanistan’s most improbable ambassadors for peace,” Oxfam said.