"I think exaggerating what are actually rather weak and strongly overlapping differences between men and women is one of the primary functions of clothes." So true.  There's nothing wrong with clothing being a form of gender self-expression, but dress codes shouldn't be the result of gender insecurity in the enforcer.

"men and the women ... currently wear the same uniforms, including headgear"

In all the boxing I've seen (not much) the men do not wear tops, whereas, I assume women do.

"Dr. Wu says, 'After we hear about its comfort and how easy it is to compete in the uniform, it may be compulsory.'"

If the skirt is an such an improvement that it should be mandatory, surely it should be mandatory for all boxers, male and female. I look forward to the implementation of this regulation.

The easiest solution is to make it a choice for the boxer, whether it be a man or woman. They should be allowed to choose which one is better for them on an individual basis.

One has to accept that this is a clear push to gender dichotomy. There may be several female boxers who do not conform to female gender archetypes and to push them into that position is wrong and the same may be said for some male boxers.

Discomfort with the lack of actual differences between men and women sometimes leads individuals to encourage or enforce artificial ones.

Perfect.  Thank you.  The female boxers must be close to beating the men's scores.  A balance must be kept.  As soon as women start getting too equal in one area, the dehumanization must be increased in another area.

And I particularly appreciate your inclusion of the frilly skirt photo.  First men insist that women must wear different clothes than men do, then men insist that a woman's garments must be pornified so men can get their entitlement jollies everywhere they look.   

Why do spectators need to be able to tell the difference between the men and women anyway? I was under the impression that boxing was between two opponents, and that those opponents wore different colors to help the audience tell them apart. Unless there's some sort of new tag-team fad I don't know about, it seems like a pretty flimsy excuse to display women's legs and butts. (Also, as someone else stated, don't the men typically box shirtless?)

And who, exactly, is going to be confused? The audience -- who have likely been told by the announcer who the boxers are (and likely have various other methods available to them to let them know the identity of the boxers)?

Did boxing federations start to have mixed matches, men versus women? (Maybe they have, I don't know...) Unless they have, then how could it be confusing? (And if they have, then you always have the reference of the color of clothing to know who is who; just in case you didn't pay attention to who was who when you were told by the announcer.)

It's almost like saying that boxers must paint their bodies in the color of their organization or (in international competitions) home country, just so we don't confuse the contestants one for the other. In other words: reliant upon false logic.

"It might also, however, be an example of an attempt to retrench
difference between men and women exactly when those differences start to
dissolve.  Discomfort with the lack of actual differences between men and women sometimes leads individuals to encourage or enforce artificial ones."

Sooo true.  In a story I saw on CNN today about women commandos (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/11/03/pkg-starr-gi-jane-special-ops.cnn?iref=allsearch), one woman interviewed stressed the fact that unlike men or "GI Jane," women in these units most definitely did NOT have to shave their head.  Exact same principle. 

I can't believe that the female athletes puts up with this nonsense! It's clear, that the only reason why they would force skirts on female boxers is for the visual sight. For men. Barf! They're strong women, they should be able to wear whatever they want, and I highly doubt that a miniskirt is their first choice.

And BTW I love the idea of making the "comfy" skirts the uniform for both genders. If it's such a good idea, why not go all the way? I mean, then I would be able to tell who is the best boxer, and just not who has the most sexy butt in my face, telly-time.

It seems this really is nothing more than an attempt to retrench gender differences since I can say, as someone who knows the sport pretty well, that this offers absolutely no advantage to the women who are competing. In fact, in the BBC article, no attempt is made to justify this on a the basis that it makes more sense in terms of comfort or ability to compete. Instead, it's justified as being elegant in the case of Poland.

Now I don't like to have to refer back to gender essentialisms, but really, how elegant can we expect someone to be when they are competing in a sport that is basically legalized assault. I love the sport of boxing, but I have no illusions about what it is. This is really just laughable. 

Wow, you are faster and better than polish media - I couldn't find polish coach's opinion about it and there is only one short note [copied everywhere], that there is posibility, that female boxers may wear skirts on London 2014. 

aahh, yes because when i think of women boxers beating the hell out of eachother, I think, a skirt makes it more feminine!

Let's put the girls in skirts cause it makes them look more feminine! Yeah fuck you.

As an active female, I have incorporated the skirt or "skort" into so many sports and activities. I wear it when coaching and training in boxing. It allows movement while still being feminine. I wear them for spinning, playing pool, tennis and normal workouts. They don't show the moisture in the groin region when a woman is working out. They are very modest.
An excellent requirement for female boxers.

Maybe it's not a bad thing to put into men's minds the image of a woman in a skirt beating the crap out of someone. Like Xena the warrior princess.

Por tradición los hombres desde siempre se habían vestido con faldas, solo hace 300 años que los obligaron a usar pantalón.
El pantalón es la prenda menos adecuada para un hombre; el calzoncillo bóxer, hace las veces de férula en los genitales, (propiciando mal funcionamiento, y discapacidades), la costura central del pantalón maltrata, magulla e incomoda todo el tiempo los genitales; la correa o cinturón hace las veces de torniquete, y obliga al corazón a bombear la sangre con mayor esfuerzo, (para vencer la contracción que hace el torniquete), y por mala irrigacion sanguínea afecta: el aparato digestivo, el sistema urinario, el aparato reproductor. Ademas con el uso del pantalón el hombre ha terminado orinando de pie lo cual es totalmente antinatural. Las Faldas y los vestidos con faldas para los hombres son suprema-mente SALUDABLES, CÓMODOS Y CONFORTABLES. El pantalón, el calzoncillo ajustado, la costura central del pantalón, y la correa o cinturón, están promoviendo las enfermedades modernas de los hombres: IMPOTENCIA, ESTERILIDAD, PROBLEMAS DE LA PRÓSTATA Y POSIBLEMENTE CÁNCER DEL TESTÍCULO.
Ninguna parte del cuerpo del varon se maltrata mas que los genitales.
Por salud y comodidad mejor usar FALDAS O VESTIDOS CON FALDA