Will boxing still be included in Los Angeles Olympics 2028?

The future of boxing in the Olympic Games remains uncertain as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has yet to confirm the sport’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The uncertainty stems from the ongoing conflict between the IOC and the International Boxing Association (IBA), which was stripped of its recognition by the Olympic body last year due to persistent governance and financial issues.

The IOC’s decision to exclude boxing from the Los Angeles Olympics program so far has raised concerns within the global boxing community. Mark Adams, an IOC spokesperson, emphasized the committee’s desire to see boxing included in the upcoming Games but stressed that the sport’s future depends on the boxing community’s ability to organize under a new, credible governing body. “We would love to see boxing on the program in LA. Now it is up to the boxing community to organize themselves for the sport and for the athletes,” Adams was quoted as saying in an August 6 article published by Reuters.

In response to the IOC’s call for a new organization, World Boxing was established in 2023. Despite gaining 37 members, the organization is still far smaller than the IBA and has yet to receive official recognition from the IOC. The urgency of the situation was underscored by IOC President Thomas Bach, who announced that a decision on boxing’s inclusion in the 2028 Games would need to be made by the end of 2025.

“During the course of next year, as soon as possible. But we cannot wait longer than the end of next year,” Bach said, clarifying that the IOC would not oversee the boxing competition at the LA Games if the sport is included.

The ongoing dispute between the IOC and the IBA has been further complicated by the controversial handling of two female boxers, Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting. Both athletes were banned by the IBA during last year’s World Championships following a chromosome test that deemed them ineligible to compete due to gender issues. However, the IOC has allowed both boxers to participate in the Paris Olympics, affirming their status as women.

This disagreement between the IOC and the IBA reached a boiling point during a chaotic IBA press conference in Paris. The organization’s president, Umar Kremlev, delivered a rambling online presentation in which he launched personal attacks against IOC President Thomas Bach, criticized the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony, and defended his leadership against accusations of corruption. The press conference, which was initially intended to address the gender eligibility tests, instead created further confusion and led to protests from Taiwan’s sports administration.

Adams pointed to the debacle as evidence of the IBA’s inability to govern the sport effectively. “It clearly demonstrates that the sport of boxing needs a new federation to run boxing,” he remarked, underscoring the IOC’s stance that a fresh, competent governing body is essential for boxing’s future in the Olympic event.

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