LOS ANGELES: Boxing will continue to be an Olympic sport after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) unanimously voted to include it in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Boxing was initially excluded from the program for the upcoming Olympics when the schedule was revealed in 2022. However, last month, the IOC granted provisional recognition to World Boxing as the sport’s global governing body, and during the ongoing session in Greece, they voted to include it in the 2028 Games.
The outgoing IOC president, Thomas Bach, said: “I thank you for the approval of having boxing back. We can look forward to a great boxing tournament.”
Boxing included in the Olympics
Boxing has been part of every Olympics since 1904, except for 1912. However, the IOC has overseen the sport at the last two Games after the International Boxing Association (IBA) was suspended in 2019 due to concerns over governance, finances, refereeing, and ethical issues. Moreover, the Russian-led IBA was stripped of its status in June 2023 due to its failure to implement necessary reforms.
Furthermore, the IOC and the IBA had a conflict during the 2024 Paris Olympics regarding the participation of two boxers, Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting. The IBA banned both fighters during the 2023 World Championships for failing gender eligibility tests, but the IOC permitted them to compete, and both went on to win gold medals in their respective weight classes.
World Boxing, formed in April 2023, now has 84 members across five continents, including Great Britain. With this news, World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst stated: “This is a great day for boxers, boxing, and everyone connected with our sport at every level across the world.”
The president added: “World Boxing understands that being part of the Olympic Games is a privilege and not a right, and we are determined to be a trustworthy and reliable partner that will adhere to and uphold the values of the Olympic Movement.”
The IOC has announced that only athletes whose national federations are members of World Boxing by the time the qualification events for the 2028 Olympics begin will be eligible to compete in Los Angeles. The dates for the qualification period are still to be determined.