The IOC says boxing will be included in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles

The International Olympic Committee unanimously decided on Thursday to include boxing in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics program, putting an end to years of uncertainty about the sport’s Olympic future.

World Boxing received provisional recognition from the IOC last month, which was a significant step toward the sport’s inclusion in the LA Games. Thursday’s ruling guaranteed the sport’s continued Olympic status.

“I appreciate your encouragement of boxing’s return. “We anticipate a fantastic boxing competition,” IOC President Thomas Bach stated.

The IOC took over the boxing category at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after the International Boxing Association was denied recognition in 2023 for failing to enact financial and governance reforms.

The sport was left out of the IOC’s original LA 2028 schedule because they pushed national boxing federations to replace the IBA with a new international boxing organization.

Launched in 2023, World Boxing already has over 80 national federations as members.

World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst declared, “Today is a fantastic day for boxers, boxing, and everyone involved with our sport at every level worldwide.”

It would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of all national federations, boxers, coaches, officials, and boxing leaders who have collaborated to make this happen. This result is the result of a tremendous team effort.

“World Boxing understands that being part of the Olympic Games is a privilege and not a right and we are determined to be a trustworthy and reliable partner that will adhere to and uphold the values of the Olympic Movement,” he added.

Only athletes whose national federations were World Boxing members at the beginning of the 2028 Olympic qualifying events were permitted to compete in Los Angeles, according to the IOC.

Due to concerns about governance, finances, refereeing, and ethics, the IOC suspended the IBA in 2019. The organization was led by Kremlin-affiliated Russian businessman Umar Kremlev.

It excluded the IBA from organizing the boxing competitions at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and, in an unusual move, denied it recognition two years later.