KUWAIT: Boxing, often termed as the "Sweet Science", began in recent years to attract more women practitioners in Kuwait, empowering them with skills breaking social molds and norms. As in the case of their male counterparts, female boxers honed their skills at gyms across the country and followed that with outstanding performances in regional and international competitions.

One shining example of Kuwaiti women's prowess in boxing is Noura Al-Mutairi, a phenomenal boxer who has snatched several medals in regional and international competitions with gold in the Saudi boxing tournament in 2020 and bronze in the 64 kg category of the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships held in Dubai in 2021. "Establishing an all-female boxing team is one of my ambitions," Al-Mutairi said. Al-Mutairi said that since 2016, she journeyed through various martial arts such as Kajukenbo, kickboxing and Muay Thai before settling on boxing.

She indicated that the road she took was not easy; saying that other than the challenges presented in boxing itself, society was not too keen on women partaking in the sport. The goal now was to introduce boxing to more female practitioners and push the envelope of the sport further, Al-Mutairi affirmed, saying that she was looking forward as the head of the women's committee at the Kuwaiti Boxing Association to achieve such dream.

Facing adversary with a smile, Noura Al-Mutairi competes during a boxing event.

On his part, Assistant Secretary at the Association Hazza Al-Mutairi expressed pride of what Noura Al-Mutairi had achieved recently for Kuwaiti women boxing, hoping that it was a precursor for the establishment of a well defined and official squad for women in Kuwait. Touting the benefits of boxing for women, technical director of boxing at Fahaheel SC Hamed Al-Enizi said that women had been involved in boxing since the 18th century, which indicated that their print in the sport was not something new.

As other sports, boxing helps both in physical and mental wellbeing if practiced correctly under experienced coaches and within rules that prioritized boxers' safety, he added. It is still unknown whether Kuwait would push further for the involvement of more women boxers in the sport; however, with skills displayed by Noura Al-Mutairi, one could rest assured that the future of the sweet science was in good hands, or fists to be more precise. - KUNA