BERLIN , Germany ( CNN ) -- Women 's boxing will be included at the 2012 Olympic Games in London , the president of the International Olympic Committee announced Thursday . Germany 's Ina Menzer , left , fights American Franchesca Alcanter during a WIBF and WBC featherweight bout in May . The decision came during a two-day IOC Executive Board meeting in Berlin , at which board members also decided to propose golf and rugby for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games . `` I can only rejoice about the decision of inclusion of women 's boxing , '' IOC President Jacques Rogge told reporters . `` I think it 's a great decision . Boxing was the sole ( Olympic ) sport with no women involved . `` The sport of women 's boxing has progressed a lot , a tremendous amount , in the last five years and it was about time to include them in the Games . '' Have your say - should women 's boxing be included ? A men 's class will likely be axed to make room for three women 's weight categories at London 2012 , the UK Press Association reported . Women will compete in the flyweight 48-51kg class , lightweight 56-60kg and middleweight 69-75kg , the agency said . When the IOC dropped baseball and softball from the 2012 Olympic program several years ago , it said it would consider adding new sports that had a clean reputation and a wide appeal . Rogge pointed out that women 's boxing has around 200 athletes who could potentially compete in 2012 , while softball has only around 120 . As a result , he said , the IOC considered women 's boxing to be more popular . Women 's boxing has boomed in Britain since 2005 , with the number of registered female fighters rising from 50 to 600 , PA reported . Softball and baseball were considered for inclusion in the 2016 Games along with squash , karate , roller sports , golf and rugby , but the board decided to consider only the last two . Blog : IOC has picked the wrong sports , says CNN 's Paul Gittings . The IOC has not yet selected the host city for 2016 , but its board members will submit golf and rugby to the full IOC session for a final decision at its meeting in Copenhagen , Denmark , in October . `` Golf and rugby scored high on all the criteria , '' Rogge told the IOC 's official Web site . `` They have global appeal , a geographically diverse line-up of top iconic athletes and an ethic that stresses fair play . '' The International Golf Federation has proposed two four-day strokeplay tournaments for men and women , with 18 holes per round and medals awarded to the three players in each with the lowest scores . The International Rugby Board has proposed men 's and women 's Sevens tournaments , with 12 teams in each being divided into two pools before semifinals and finals .
Women 's boxing will be included in the 2012 Olympic Games in London . It had been the only Olympic event without any female participants . Football and rugby will be considered for inclusion at the 2016 Summer Games . Softball , squash , baseball , volleyball and roller hockey did not make the cut .