Nobody is spared at the European Boxing Championships for Women in Rotterdam. The contestants go all-out, no holds barred. It's the first time the European tournament is being held in the Netherlands.

The Dutch Boxing Association, which is celebrating its centennial this year, has said it is seeing the tournament as a birthday present. Chairman Paul de la Chambre even considers the European Championship 'the highlight of the jubilee year'.

Next year the women boxers will make their official entry at the Olympics in London. Back in 1904, in St Louis, US, women's boxing was no more than a demonstration sport, but at the next Olympics the women will be competing for gold, silver and bronze in three weight classes (below 61 kilos, 60 kilos, and 75 kilos).

The Dutch aces Marichelle de Jong (-69 kilos) and Nouchka Fontijn (-75 kilos) are each other's competitors for an Olympic ticket. Their immediate aim is to participate at next year's world championships in China. The four best-placed Europeans there will automatically qualify for the Olympic Games.

(rk)