Kōrero: Gender and sport

Historically, women were barred from certain sports. In New Zealand, women boxers only emerged in the 1990s and their participation was still controversial in the early 2000s. Women boxers competed at the Olympics for the first time in London in 2012. Alexis Pritchard (in red, pictured during her bout against Russian Sofya Ochigava) and Siona Fernandez were New Zealand's boxing representatives in London – no men were selected. In the lead-up to the games, Pritchard was outspoken about the right of women to compete in any sport.