LONDON, England (BBC) – Women boxers will have the chance to fight for gold at the 2012 Olympics.

International Olympic Committee chiefs voted yesterday to lift the barrier to the last all-male summer sport.

Three women’s weight classes will be added to the Olympic programme for 2012 Games in London, with one of the 11 men’s classes dropped to make room.

“Women’s boxing has come on a tremendous amount in the last five years and it was time to include them,” said IOC president Jacques Rogge.

Women will fight at flyweight (48-51kg), lightweight (56-60kg) and middleweight (69-75kg).

The IOC’s decision was described as “historic” by Olympics minister Tessa Jowell.

“It will be a landmark moment come London 2012 when for the first time every sport will have women participating in it,” she said.

“There are still major disparities in the number of medals women can win compared to men but this is a step in the right direction.

“In this country women’s boxing has come on in leaps and bounds and is growing quickly at all levels.

“London 2012 will now create the first-ever generation of boxing heroines and hopefully inspire even more women to take up the sport.”

Women’s boxing came close to being included at the 2008 Beijing Games but the IOC ruled it would not offer added value to the Olympic programme.

Fears were that the sport was not competitive in enough countries, which could lead to potentially dangerous mismatches.

But participation has since boomed with 120 international federations having female boxers. There are now nearly 600 registered female boxers in England, up from 50 in 2005.

Amanda Coulson, a three-time ABA champion and long-time trail-blazer for British women’s amateur boxing, expects the whole sport to benefit from the IOC’s decision.

“It’s fantastic news, I’m over the moon,” she said. “Women’s boxing can only progress from here – participation numbers will go through the roof, especially after 2012.

“The sport will keep growing but not just female boxing, the numbers overall will increase because of the added exposure.”

England women’s coach Mick Gannon expects the popularity of female boxing to explode following its inclusion in the Olympics.

“It’s fantastic,” he said. “What we’ll see now is young ladies knocking down the doors at boxing gyms.

“There is going to be a big jump from other combat sports into boxing and it is already the fastest-growing sport in England.

“Numbers-wise it has increased by about 700% in five or six years.

“Like any sport you have a drop-off but now they will have the opportunity to go on and become superstars.”

British sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe added: “This move is a massive boost for women’s boxing.