title: Prohibiting Headgear for Safety in Amateur Boxing? Opinion of the Canadian Boxing Community: an Online Poll.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2013, the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) introduced a rule banning headgear for male-senior open class boxers during competition. The AIBA has defended the rule change as motivated by safety and supported by internal unpublished studies. As a result, in 2018, the AIBA plans to universally prohibit headgear in competition: for all competitors (male and female), all ages and all levels. Within Canada, this ruling has generated controversy in the boxing community, yet there has been no overall measure of opinion.
  
  
  METHODS
  To address this, we instituted a voluntary, anonymous, online open-access poll to allow members of the boxing community to express their stance on headgear use in competition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 636 responses were received. A total of 71.5 % of Canadian respondents believed headgear should be mandatory at all levels. Only 5.8 % agreed that headgear should be prohibited, as planned for 2018. Estimating results on a representative breakdown of boxing membership in Canada, a similar pattern emerged, whereby 68.2 % concurred with mandatory headgear while only 4.95 % supported its prohibition. Parents of boxers were almost unanimously against banning headgear, stating they would change sports as a result. Similarly, only 1.7 % of women believed headgear should be prohibited.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The consensus of the Canadian boxing community largely opposes the rule changes that the AIBA has implemented. The results highlight risks posed to the long-term viability of the sport, if significant grassroots safety concerns are disregarded.
authors.affiliation: Centre Sportif Chat Bleu, 435 rue Beaubien Ouest, 4e, Montreal, Quebec H2V 1C9 Canada.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dickinson
authors.affiliation: Centre Sportif Chat Bleu, 435 rue Beaubien Ouest, 4e, Montreal, Quebec H2V 1C9 Canada.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rempel
keywords: Amateur boxing; Concussion; Head injury; Headgear; Opinion poll; Safety