Boxing is set to remain on the program for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles following years of governance disputes within the sport.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced Monday that the executive board had approved boxing’s inclusion in the 2028 Games. The decision still requires formal approval from the full IOC Session, which consists of about 100 members, but this is expected to be a formality later this week.
The IOC has been directly overseeing Olympic boxing since 2019, following a breakdown in relations with the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA). It managed the boxing events at both the Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 Olympics but insisted a new governing body be in place before 2028.
Last month, the IOC formally recognized World Boxing, a breakaway federation established in 2023.
“I am very confident that the session will approve it so that all the boxers of the world then have certainty that they can participate in the Olympic Games L.A. 2028 if their national federation is recognized by World Boxing,” Bach said.
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IBA’s Ongoing Feud with the IOC
The IOC suspended the IBA in 2019 due to concerns over its governance, finances, and the integrity of bout judging. In 2023, the committee went further, officially expelling the IBA from the Olympic movement.
Despite its removal, the IBA, led by Russian president Umar Kremlev, has continued to challenge the IOC, particularly over rules on female eligibility for the Paris Olympics. Last month, the IBA announced plans to file criminal complaints against the IOC in the United States, France, and Switzerland.
World Boxing is now expected to review and update rules on female eligibility before Olympic qualifying events begin, likely next year.
“This is a very significant and important decision for Olympic boxing and takes the sport one step closer to being restored to the Olympic program,” World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst said in a statement Monday.
“I have no doubt it will be very positively received by everyone connected with boxing, at every level throughout the world, who understands the critical importance of boxing remaining a part of the Olympic movement.”
World Boxing Gains Influence
American and British boxing officials were among the founders of World Boxing in 2023. The organization has since gained support from key Olympic nations, including India and, most recently, China. The new body now boasts more than 80 national federations as members. However, Russia, Spain, and several African nations have yet to join.
The IOC indicated Monday that national boxing bodies still have time to switch allegiance to World Boxing before Olympic qualification begins.
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Russia’s Ongoing IOC Suspension
Like boxing’s IBA, the Russian Olympic Committee remains exiled from the IOC.
Russia was suspended in October 2023 after attempting to take control of regional sports councils in eastern Ukraine, a move the IOC deemed a violation of Olympic regulations.
“The ball is in the court of the Russian Olympic Committee,” Bach said Monday. However, he noted that working-level contacts between the IOC and Russian officials have continued.
The Russian Olympic body has also been cut off from its share of Olympic revenue for nearly 18 months.
“They have to follow the rules,” Bach said. “Everybody in the Olympic Movement who is following the rules of the Olympic Charter is welcome, and everybody who is not following the Olympic Charter is not welcome.”
Despite its suspension, some Russian athletes were permitted to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics as vetted neutrals in individual sports. A similar system is likely to be used for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
Source: With input from agency