Boxing secures place at 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
Boxing will feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after International Olympic Committee (IOC) members voted unanimously on Thursday to reinstate the sport.
The decision follows the IOC Executive Board’s recognition of World Boxing as the new governing body, ending years of uncertainty over boxing’s Olympic status. The sport has been part of every Games since 1904, except Stockholm 1912, where it was banned under Swedish law.
The IOC took control of boxing at the Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 Olympics after severing ties with the Russian-led International Boxing Association over governance, financial, and ethical concerns. IOC president Thomas Bach had warned that national federations needed to align with a “reliable” international partner to ensure the sport’s future in the Olympics.
On Thursday, World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst welcomed the decision.
“World Boxing is very grateful to the IOC for the faith they have placed in our organisation by restoring boxing to the programme for LA2028, and I can reassure them that we will do everything in our power to ensure that we operate to the highest standards of governance and transparency and deliver sporting integrity,” van der Vorst said.
Former Olympic champions also praised the decision, including 1996 gold medallist Wladimir Klitschko.
“This is absolutely fantastic news,” Klitschko said. “The Olympic Games is so important to our sport, and to have not been part of it would have been a disaster for boxing and boxers everywhere.”
(Source: AFP)
