The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board, has recommended that boxing be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a sport that was initially left out of the program.
This action follows World Boxing’s provisional recognition as the sport’s new international governing body last month.
The final approval will be decided at this week’s IOC session in Greece, but outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach is optimistic about the outcome.
“After the provisional recognition of World Boxing in February we were in a position to take this decision.”
“This recommendation has to go to the session, but I am very confident they will approve it so that all the boxers of the world then have certainty they can participate in the Olympic Games in LA,” Bach stated.
A New Governing Body Clears the Path
Boxing’s Olympic future was in jeopardy due to the suspension of the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2019 over governance, financial mismanagement, refereeing, and ethical concerns.
The Russian-led IBA was stripped of its status in June 2023 after failing to implement reforms.
As a result, the IOC directly oversaw boxing events at the past two Olympics, including Paris 2024.
Disputes with the IBA escalated when two boxers—Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting—were banned from the 2023 World Championships over gender eligibility concerns but later won Olympic gold under the IOC’s oversight.
World Boxing’s Role in Boxing’s Olympic Future
To resolve governance issues, World Boxing was established in April 2023 and now has 84 member federations across five continents, including Great Britain.
World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst welcomed the IOC’s decision:
“This is a very significant and important decision for Olympic boxing and takes the sport one step closer to being restored to the Olympic programme,” he said.
“I have no doubt it will be very positively, that if boxing is restored to the programme for LA28, that World Boxing is completely committed to being a trustworthy and reliable partner that will adhere to and uphold the values of the Olympic Charter.”
He assured the IOC that World Boxing would be a trustworthy and reliable partner, fully committed to upholding Olympic values.
Qualification Rules for LA 2028
The IOC has set a key requirement:
“Only athletes from national federations affiliated with World Boxing before the start of LA 2028 qualification events will be eligible to compete.”
However, the qualification period dates have yet to be announced.
If approved, this decision will secure boxing’s Olympic future under a new, reformed structure, ensuring that athletes worldwide can continue to compete on the sport’s biggest stage.
