Paddypower is offering odds of 1/10 that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will approve the introduction of women's disciplines.

 

It is also offering odds of 1/8 that Ireland's Taylor, a two-time world champion in the 60 kilogram class, will win a gold medal if the sport is included at London.

 

A spokesman for Paddypower said: “It’s looking good for the girls to get the go ahead and it’s great Katie Taylor will get a chance to shine on the biggest stage.

 

"Come to think of it it’s great for Ireland too that we already look to have a gold medal in the bag."

 

But the sport still has some hurdles to clear before it can start planning for London 2012 and Taylor can begin dreaming of that gold medal.

 

Women's boxing is just one of a number of disciplines that will be considered for London 2012 by the IOC's ruling Executive Board when it meets in Berlin on Thursday.

 

Others put forward by the 26 Summer Olympic sports federations include tennis mixed doubles and 50-metre sprints in swimming

 

The Executive Board will also recommend two sports for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics, with golf and rugby sevens the favourites in a group that also includes baseball, softball, karate, squash and roller sports.

The 15-members on the Board must weigh the demands against its stated goals of gender equality and universality - the opportunity for all nations to compete with a realistic chance of winning medals - while keeping within a limit of 10,500 athletes.

The most dramatic change for 2012 would be the introduction of women's classes in boxing, currently the only summer Olympic sport exclusively for men.
 

Richard Baker, a spokesman for world governing body International Boxing Association (AIBA), said: "The thousands of female athletes who practice religiously and compete in national, intercontinental and international competition with the dream of one day, possibly, being able to celebrate the world's greatest sporting occasion, deserve the opportunity."

 

The AIBA is proposing that 40 female boxers compete in London, with eight in each of five weight categories.

 

They range from 47kg (104 pounds), comparable to the men's light flyweight class, up to 75kg (165 pounds), equal to the men's middleweights.

Men's boxing would lose 40 places to keep the sport within its limit of 286 Olympic athletes.
 

IOC President Jacques Rogge has said the time is right for women's boxing after the proposal was rejected four years ago after failing to reach standards of medical safety and universality.

 

However, its approval is not a certainty, as some Executive Board members are not enthusiastic about adding women's boxing.

Swimming governing body Fina is seeking eight more medal races - a 50m backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly for men and women, the 800m freestyle for men and 1,500m freestyle for women - for a total of 42 to match its World Championships programme.

 

The introduction of the 50m backstroke could be a big boost for Britain's medal chances at London 2012 as earlier this month Liam Tancock (pictured) won the event at the World Championships in Rome.

Fina also wants to add four teams in women's water polo and synchronised swimming for 12-nation competitions, and introduce a free combined event in synchronised.

The International Tennis Federation wants to add a 16-pairing mixed doubles tournament to its four existing gold medals in singles and doubles for men and women.
 

Mixed doubles was last played at the 1924 Paris Olympics when Hazel Wightman and Richard Williams won as part of a United States sweep of the five golds.
 

After BMX racing debuted in Beijing last year, the International Cycling Union would like to add BMX freestyle events for men and women in London.
 

The International Canoe Federation (ICF) wants to give women a greater share of its 16 medal events, and offer a more exciting package for television viewers.

 

In flatwater sprints, men currently enjoy a 9-3 share of the golds, while in slalom the split is 3-1.
 

Simon Toulson, the secretary general of the ICF, said: "It doesn't reflect participation rates of 60 per cent men, 40 per cent women.

 

"The IOC has recognised that we need to tackle this issue."

Modern Pentathlon, one of the oldest and most traditional of Olympic sports, is seeking a historic change.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the Modern Olympics, designed the sport as a test of soldiering skills in which competitors must shoot, fence, swim for 200 metres, ride a horse over a showjumping course and run 3,000m.

The International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) voted last year to combine pistol shooting and running into one final discipline with a staggered start.

The changes aim to shorten the event and create a more dynamic finish in which the winner is determined by crossing the line first rather than accumulating the most points.

 

The format is due to be used at the World Championships, which open in London on Thursday.