Are there bronze medal fights in Olympic boxing? Unique rule means Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting are guaranteed podiums
Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting are among the boxers now guaranteed a medal at the Paris Olympics.
The two fighters, who have been at the centre of some major controversy at the Games, will at least pick up a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals.
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That is because the Olympic boxing event has some unique rules which were brought in to help protect athletes on the world stage.
Are there bronze medal fights in Olympic boxing?
There are no bronze medal fights in boxing at the Paris Olympics.
It means those who reach the semi-finals will guarantee themselves a medal.
And this has been the case since 1950.
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The International Boxing Association made the decision to get rid of the bronze medal match due to the quick turnaround required following the semi-finals.
There is a big physical risk to the boxers fighting at such an elite level.
So to protect the health and well-being of the athletes, the losers of the semi-finals both receive a bronze medal rather than fighting again soon after.
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All athletes who reach the final four will get some hardware and that's the case for Khelif and Lin who are eyeing gold in their respective weight classes.
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They and all others to have progressed will be getting a medal no matter what happens, including Team GB's light-middleweight star Lewis Richardson.
Boxing isn’t the only sport to have the rules at the Olympics as it's a unique part of combat events.
There are also no bronze medal fights in judo, taekwondo and wrestling.
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