History Firsts: First reported Female Boxing Referee in the World – 1957

According to the Amarillo Daily News, dated November 14, 1957, Page 15, there was a report of the History-First Female boxing referee in Europe.  They reported the following:

“STOCKHOLM, Sweden – (UP) – Mrs. Margareta Sjoelin, 25 years old, Europe’s FIRST FEMALE BOXING REFEREE and mother of three was the first.  Mrs. Sjoelin made a statement shortly after she had returned to the dressing room from a fight that she was refereeing.

“Since I was a girl, I have been fascinated by boxing.  My brothers are fighters, and my husband, Stig, used to be European middleweight amateur champion.  So it was kind of natural that I picked the only activity in boxing that is open to women—-refereeing.”  She went on to say that she prepared very hard to get her referee license.

After Mrs. Sjoelin passed the instructional course a month previous to this documented article they report that shortly thereafter, she debuted as a referee.  There was no objections from the fighters or the public.

As explained about Sweden, they reported that Sweden is a coutry where women’s emancipation is more advanced than in most other countres.

As far as her future as a boxing referee, Mrs. Sjoelin said that her goal would be to referee in the boxing tournament of the next Olympics.