No boxing in 2028 LA Olympics?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Thomas Bach, indicated on Friday that a decision regarding including boxing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will need to be made by 2025.
The national boxing federations are encouraged to create a new worldwide boxing organization by early 2025 to ensure their participation in the Olympics.
“During the course of next year, as soon as possible. But we cannot wait longer than the end of next year,” Bach said in a press conference.
Moreover, due to the “universality and high social inclusivity of boxing,” the IOC wants to continue to feature it in the Olympic Games program. However, the idea is uncertain because of “governance reasons.”
“Unfortunately, this is far from certain for the Olympic Games LA 2028 because, for governance reasons, the IOC is not in a position to organize another Olympic boxing tournament. To keep boxing on the Olympic program, the IOC needs a recognized and reliable International Federation as a partner, as with all the other Olympic sports,” the Olympic committee said on Wednesday.
To solidify boxing’s spot in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, a new governing body called World Boxing has been established.
Its president, Boris van der Vorst, contends that affiliating with World Boxing is the sole means for national boxing federations to secure the sport’s inclusion.
At present, World Boxing boasts 37 members and aspires to increase its membership to 50 or more, although it has not yet received recognition from the IOC.
