COSTA NAVARINO, Greece — Boxing is poised to make its return to the Olympic stage for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, following several years of management controversies within the sport.
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) president, Thomas Bach, announced on Monday that the executive board has decided to reinstate boxing into the 2028 Olympic program.
This decision awaits final approval from the full IOC Session, comprised of roughly 100 members, which is scheduled to take place later this week and is typically procedural.
The IOC had to independently manage the boxing events during both the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Paris Summer Games last year due to stalled relations with the Russian-influenced International Boxing Association (IBA). The IOC, however, expressed the necessity of partnering with a new governing body by 2028.
In recent developments, a new organization, World Boxing, was recognized by the IOC’s leadership last month.
“I am quite optimistic that the session will endorse this decision, providing a clear path for boxers worldwide to compete at the L.A. 2028 Olympic Games, provided their national federations are acknowledged by World Boxing,” stated Bach.
In 2019, the IOC suspended the IBA amidst ongoing grievances concerning its governance, financial health, and questions about fair play in matches and judgments, eventually severing ties completely in 2023. This was after factions within the IBA formed World Boxing.
Despite the suspension, IBA and its Russian head Umar Kremlev continued to engage in disputes with the IOC, notably over women’s boxing eligibility criteria for the Paris Games. Last month, the IBA announced intentions to pursue legal action against the IOC across several countries.
World Boxing intends to reassess and update the regulations concerning female athletes that must be established prior to the start of Olympic qualifiers, anticipated next year.
“This signifies a pivotal advancement for Olympic boxing, moving it closer to regaining its spot within the Olympic agenda,” commented World Boxing’s president, Boris van der Vorst. “This development surely will be welcomed by the global boxing community, recognizing the vital importance of maintaining boxing as part of the Olympics.”
American and British boxing representatives were instrumental in the inception of World Boxing in 2023. Since its formation, other nations with significant Olympic influence like India and recently China, have joined, although Russia, Spain, and several African nations have not yet affiliated.
The IOC revealed that national boxing organizations would be granted time to align with World Boxing in advance of the qualification round.
On a related note, the Russian Olympic Committee remains suspended by the IOC, attributed to actions concerning Ukrainian sports councils in October 2023.
“The Russian Olympic Committee must abide by established guidelines,” Bach mentioned, clarifying that despite the official suspension, dialogue on the working level has persisted. The Russian committee hasn’t received revenue shares from Olympic events for over a year, due to actions that “violate the territorial integrity” of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee.
“Compliance with the Olympic Charter is mandatory; those observing it are welcomed, while those disregarding it are not,” Bach asserted.
During the Paris Games of 2024, some Russian athletes competed individually as neutral entities, a framework that is likely to be employed for future competitions like the Winter Games in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo next February.
