Boxing is still not part of the Olympic program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. The IOC leadership decided on Friday (October 13, 2023) in Mumbai not to consider the scandal-plagued sport for the Games in five years.
The background is the ongoing dispute with the International Boxing Association (IBA), which was excluded by the IOC due to corruption and distortion of competition. Boxing is therefore currently without an Olympic association. However, the exclusion is not final. “I never tire of saying that we want boxing in the Olympic program,” said IOC President Thomas Bach on Friday after the executive meeting. The IOC has no problem with the boxers, only with the IBA.
However, a rival association called World Boxing is already ready. If recognized by the IOC, this association could act as the organizer of the Olympic tournament in Los Angeles. The qualification for Paris 2024 and the Olympic fights are in the hands of a task force set up by the IOC – as was the case at the recent Olympics in Tokyo.
The German Boxing Association (DBV) reacted calmly to the decision. “I am still optimistic that boxing will be Olympic in 2028 because of its history, which goes back to ancient times,” said President Jens Hadler in response to a dpa request. “The decision was to be expected because the old world association has been deposed and the new World Boxing association has yet to be found,” he added. The statutes of World Boxing are to be passed in Frankfurt/Main at the end of November.
New sports and return of two traditional competitions
The modern pentathlon and weightlifting, which have not yet been considered for 2028, should be back in Los Angeles. In the case of the pentathlon, the IOC leadership awarded the contract because after the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the controversial riding discipline will be replaced by an obstacle course.
The IOC executive also agreed to the Los Angeles organizers’ proposal to include cricket, baseball/softball, lacrosse, flag football and squash in the program for the 2028 Olympics.
Cricket has only been an Olympic event in Paris in 1900. Lacrosse is also returning to the program after a long time. This is a first for squash and flag football. The IOC General Assembly, which meets in Mumbai from Sunday, must now agree.