Boxing to stay on Olympic programme for Los Angeles Games in 2028

Boxing will remain on the Olympic programme for the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

The sport’s presence in LA had been in doubt because of the decision by the International Olympic Committee in 2023 to withdraw recognition from the International Boxing Association.

The IOC oversaw the boxing programme itself for the Tokyo and Paris Games in 2021 and 2024 but had indicated its presence in LA was contingent on a new international federation partner being identified.

However, the IOC executive board provisionally recognised World Boxing as the sport’s global federation last month and on Monday recommended that the IOC Session include boxing on the Los Angeles programme.

That recommendation was rubber stamped on Thursday morning.

Boris van der Vorst, the president of World Boxing, said: “This is a great day for boxers, boxing and everyone connected with our sport, at every level, across the world.

“This outcome has been achieved by a massive team effort by a huge number of people in every part of the world and would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment of all of the national federations, boxers, coaches, officials and boxing leaders that have worked together to enable this to happen.”

The IOC’s oversight of the women’s boxing competition in Paris last summer faced criticism and drew controversy over the inclusion of two athletes – Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting – who the IBA had disqualified from the previous year’s World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.

Khelif is taking legal action over reports she has male XY chromosomes and insists she was born a woman and lives as a woman.

The World Boxing website states that its sex eligibility policy is under revision by its medical committee.