- IOC recommends boxing for LA 2028 olympics
- Final approval pending at this week's IOC session
- World Boxing committed to Olympic values
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board has recommended the inclusion of boxing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Boxing was initially excluded from the program when it was announced in 2022, but last month, World Boxing received provisional recognition as the sport’s international governing body.
Although the recommendation still needs approval from the IOC at this week’s session in Greece, outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach is confident it will be approved.
“Following the provisional recognition of World Boxing in February, we were able to make this decision,” Bach said on Monday. “This recommendation must go to the session, but I am very confident it will be approved, ensuring that all boxers worldwide can be certain they will participate in the Olympic Games in LA.”
The biggest obstacle to boxing’s inclusion in the 2028 Games was the creation of a new global governing body. The IOC has overseen boxing at the last two Olympics after the International Boxing Association (IBA) was suspended as the sport’s governing body in 2019 due to issues with governance, finances, refereeing, and ethics.
In June 2023, the IBA, which was led by Russia, had its status revoked for failing to implement necessary reforms.
The IOC and IBA clashed during the 2023 Paris Olympics regarding the participation of two boxers, Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting. Despite the IBA banning them for failing gender eligibility tests, the IOC allowed the athletes to compete, and both went on to win gold medals in their weight classes.
World Boxing, formed in April 2023, now has 84 members across five continents, including Great Britain. Last month, the IOC confirmed that World Boxing met several important criteria for provisional recognition.
World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst expressed his approval of Monday’s announcement. “This is a significant and important step for Olympic boxing and brings the sport closer to being reinstated in the Olympic program,” he said. “I have no doubt this will be warmly received by everyone involved in boxing worldwide, as the sport’s future relies on maintaining its place in the Olympic movement.”
Van der Vorst added, “On behalf of everyone at World Boxing, I would like to thank the IOC Executive Board for their trust in our organization. We hope for a positive outcome when the IOC Session meets this week. World Boxing understands that being part of the Olympics is a privilege, not a right, and we are committed to being a trustworthy and reliable partner, upholding the Olympic Charter’s values.”
The IOC has stated that only athletes whose national federations are members of World Boxing at the start of the 2028 Olympic qualification events will be eligible to compete in Los Angeles. The qualification period’s dates have yet to be confirmed.
