Boxing gets IOC approval for spot in Los Angeles Olympics

[Ledhed1]

ESPN

Boxing was included Thursday in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics program after a unanimous vote by the International Olympic Committee, ending years of doubt over the sport's Olympic future.

The IOC last month granted provisional recognition to World Boxing in a major step toward the sport's inclusion in the Los Angeles Games, and the IOC executive board had approved including boxing on the 2028 program earlier this week. Thursday's decision formally ensured that the sport's Olympic presence would continue.

"I thank you for the approval of having boxing back. We can look forward to a great boxing tournament," IOC president Thomas Bach said.

The boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Games was run by the IOC after it stripped the International Boxing Association of recognition in 2023 over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance.

The IOC had not included the sport on the initial 2028 program and urged national boxing federations to create a new global boxing body to replace the IBA.

World Boxing, currently with more than 80 national federations as members, was launched in 2023.

"This is a great day for boxers, boxing and everyone connected with our sport at every level across the world," World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst said. "This outcome has been achieved by a massive team effort ... 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.

"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."

The IOC has said that only athletes whose national federations were members of World Boxing by the time of the start of the qualification events for the 2028 Olympics could take part in Los Angeles.

The IOC suspended the IBA, run by Russian businessman Umar Kremlev with close links to the Kremlin, in 2019 over governance, finance, refereeing and ethical issues. It did not involve the IBA in running the boxing events at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and in a rare move two years later stripped it of recognition.

[Ledhed1]

IABA vote paves way for Irish boxers to compete in LA

BBC Sport

Ireland's boxers are set to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after the Irish Athletic Boxing Association [IABA] overwhelmingly voted in favour of submitting an application to join World Boxing on Saturday.

At an extraordinary general meeting [EGM] 116 out of the 117 clubs represented voted for constitutional reform which paves the way for international federation dual membership with the International Boxing Association [IBA] and World Boxing.

The IABA, which governs amateur boxing in Ireland, had previously been affiliated to the IBA.

The development comes after the International Olympic Committee's [IOC] executive board last month recommended the inclusion of boxing in the LA 2028 summer Olympics programme, having already provisionally granted recognition to World Boxing.

The IOC ran the boxing competition at the Paris 2024 Games after it had stripped the IBA of recognition in 2023 over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance.

The sport was not part of the programme for LA 2028 when the schedule was first announced in 2022, the IOC having encouraged the sport's national federations to form a new global body.

World Boxing was launched in 2023 and now has more than 80 national federations as members.

The IOC said only athletes whose national federations were members of World Boxing by the time of the start of the qualification events for the 2028 Olympics could take part in Los Angeles.

In October 2024, the IABA removed all references to the IBA from its constitution before the IABA chairperson Niall O'Carroll last month indicated that it would issue a 'Letter of Intent' to join World Boxing which would then be voted on at an EGM.

Following the vote on Saturday O'Carroll, said: "Irish Boxing has spoken today, and has chosen to be able to plot its own course.

"The removal of reference to IBA/AIBA in our constitution isn't about any one international federation, it's about clubs giving themselves the ability to choose.

"They've exercised that right for the first time today, voting to also affiliate with World Boxing."

O'Carroll added that the move would result in better opportunities for young boxers to plot their path to Olympic competition.

"The Olympics is the dream of every kid who walks into any boxing club – but getting there needs high level international competition.

"For the last few years, our clubs have been constrained in the federations that they can work with at a grassroots level on a club-to-club basis. Many of those federations were long-standing partners.

"Those constraints have now been lifted, and our clubs, as well as our national teams, can travel to any federation in the world to train and compete. It's a huge day for clubs, and for our federation."

Boxing has been Ireland's most successful Olympic sport, having won 19 of Team Ireland's 42 medals, including Kellie Harrington's unprecedented defence of her Tokyo 2020 gold at Paris 2024.

[WelshDevilRob]

Great news. The sport needs the spotlight that the Olympics gives it.