[Global Times Comprehensive Report]”The two boxers will go down in history.” According to Agence France-Presse, on the 20th local time, Saudi Arabia held its first women’s professional boxing match. Ali, who was born in Somalia, defeated Nova, a female boxer from Dominica. .
As a super lightweight boxer, Ali was 7 wins and 0 losses before this match. She won the 2016 British Boxing Elite Championship. In October 2020, Ali became the first Somali boxer to enter the professional arena. At the Tokyo Olympics, Ali became the first boxer from Somalia to compete in the Olympics. When talking about the significance of this game, Ali said: “We will inspire more women, who will not only engage in boxing, but participate in sports more generally.” Before this game, Ali was already in Kyrgyzstan Da runs boxing classes for Saudi girls. Ali’s opponent Nova said, “All women in the world can learn to box and go very far in this program.”
Only in recent years have Saudi women been allowed to participate in sports. Since 2017, Saudi girls have been able to participate in physical education classes in schools. In January 2018, Saudi Arabia allowed women to enter football stadiums for the first time. At the same time, women’s national teams for a series of sports in the country have been established one after another, and Saudi female athletes have accumulated more than 100 medals in regional and international events. (Li Jiayin)