The International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board has recommended that boxing be included in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Although the sport was not part of the initial programme announced in 2022, last month World Boxing was granted provisional recognition as the sport’s international governing body.
The recommendation still requires final approval at this week’s IOC session in Greece, but outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach expects it to pass.
“After the provisional recognition of World Boxing in February, we were in a position to take this decision,”Bach said on Monday.
“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.”
A New Governing Body Clears the Path for Boxing’s Return
The creation of a new international boxing federation was the biggest obstacle to ensuring the sport’s inclusion in the next Games.
The IOC has directly managed boxing at the past two Olympics after the International Boxing Association (IBA) was suspended in 2019 over governance, financial, refereeing, and ethical concerns.
- In June 2023, the IBA, led by Russia, was stripped of its status after failing to implement reforms.
- The IOC and IBA clashed during the Paris Olympics, particularly over two boxers—Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting—who were banned by the IBA for failing gender eligibility tests but were later allowed to compete by the IOC. Both went on to win gold medals.
World Boxing Gains Recognition
Formed in April 2023, World Boxing now has 84 members across five continents, including Great Britain.
Last month, the IOC acknowledged that World Boxing met key criteria for provisional recognition.
Boris van der Vorst, President of World Boxing, welcomed the 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.”
“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 part of the Olympic movement.”
“World Boxing understands that being part of the Olympic Games is a privilege and not a right. If boxing is restored to the programme for LA28, World Boxing is completely committed to being a trustworthy and reliable partner that will uphold the values of the Olympic Charter.”
Qualification Criteria for LA 2028
The IOC has stated that only athletes whose national federations are members of World Boxing at the start of the qualification events for the 2028 Olympics will be eligible to compete in Los Angeles.
The official dates for the qualification period are yet to be confirmed.
