Paris: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is keen to see boxing included in the Los Angeles 2028 Games but requires the establishment of a new global governing body for the sport, the IOC announced on Tuesday.
Last year, the IOC withdrew recognition from the International Boxing Association (IBA) due to its failure to implement necessary reforms in governance and finance. As a result, boxing has not yet been added to the LA 2028 programme.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams stated, “We would love to see boxing, we want to see boxing on the programme in LA. Now it is up to the boxing community to organise themselves for the sport and for the athletes,” during a press conference.
In 2023, a new organization named World Boxing was established, with 37 members, though it still falls short of the IBA’s membership count and lacks IOC recognition.
Adams’ comments followed a chaotic press conference in Paris held by the IBA, where President Umar Kremlev, a Russian, launched a lengthy and disjointed critique of the IOC. Kremlev’s presentation ranged from personal attacks on IOC President Thomas Bach to criticisms of the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony and a defense of his efforts against corruption.
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Gender Dispute and IOC-IBA Clash
The IOC and IBA have been in dispute over the participation of two female boxers, Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, at the Games. The IBA had banned the boxers after a chromosome test indicated gender ineligibility, but the IOC has allowed them to compete, affirming their status as women.
The IBA press conference, initially intended to present evidence regarding the tests, led to further confusion and prompted a protest by Taiwan’s sports administration.
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Adams commented, “I am not going to comment on the chaotic scenes yesterday. It clearly demonstrates that the sport of boxing needs a new federation to run boxing.” He added, “If you ever needed any evidence at all that the IBA is unfit to run boxing just look at the key members of the IBA who took part in that travesty yesterday.”
The relationship between the IOC and IBA has been strained for years, worsening after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Despite Kremlev’s claims that Gazprom, a Russian state energy firm, had ended its sponsorship, the IBA’s website still lists it as a main sponsor.
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“The best recruiting sergeant for a new federation was that press conference yesterday,” Adams remarked. “It will give you an idea why we are in desperate need for a federation to take it forward.”
The IOC managed the boxing competitions independently at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and the upcoming Paris Games but will not do so for Los Angeles. Adams emphasized, “We are not a federation and we desperately need a federation to run boxing.”
