Costa Navarino (Greece), March 17: Boxing is set to be included in the programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after the International Olympic Committee’s executive board (IOC EB) approved its inclusion ahead of its 144th session starting Tuesday.
The decision follows the IOC’s granting of provisional recognition to World Boxing last month, effectively sidelining the International Boxing Association (IBA) and transferring authority to the new governing body.
The March 18-21 IOC Session, which will also elect a new president to succeed Thomas Bach, is expected to ratify the executive board’s decision for inclusion of boxing in the 2028 LA Games roster.
“After the provisional recognition of world boxing in February, then we were in the position to take this decision so that … this recommendation of course has to go to the session,” Bach said after the executive board meeting.
“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 LA 2028 if their national federation is recognised by world boxing.”
The IOC has overseen the boxing competitions at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games after it derecognised the IBA in 2023 due to a prolonged dispute over governance issues and concerns regarding the integrity of bouts.
Boxing was not included on the 2028 LA Games initial sports programme approved by the IOC Session in February 2022 because of the ongoing concerns around the IBA.
Following the withdrawal of the IBA’s recognition on June 22, 2023, the inclusion of boxing on the 2028 LA Games sports programme remained on hold.
The Paris 2024 boxing competition and its qualifying tournaments were organised under the authority of the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, an ad hoc task force created by the IOC EB, to protect athlete participation at the Olympic Games and deliver a clear, fair and transparent pathway for boxers to qualify, ensuring a fair and just competition. (PTI)
