IOC Executive Board recommends inclusion of boxing on LA 2028 Olympic programme

COSTA NAVARINO, March 17, 2025 - Boxing’s inclusion on the programme of the the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles is all but confirmed after the IOC Executive Board made the recommendation at its meeting in Costa Navarino, Greece on Monday.

The 144th IOC Session, which opens tomorrow, will now vote on the Executive Board’s proposal.

This comes a few weeks after the board provisionally recognised World Boxing (WB) as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level.

"After the provisional recognition of World Boxing in February we were in the position to take this decision so that this recommendation has to go to the session," IOC President Thomas Bach told a press conference.

"I am very confident that the session will approve it so that all the boxers of the world then have certainty that they can participate in the Olympic Games LA 2028 if their national federation is recognised by World Boxing."

Following the expulsion the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the Olympic Movement, the sport was originally left off the LA 2028 programme, with the IOC insisting that its return would be dependent on the recognition of a new global governing body.

The IBA was expelled in 2023 over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance. World Boxing, which was launched in 2023, had only 37 members at the conclusion of the Paris Olympics but now boats 84 national federations.The World Boxing website states: "It was established by a group of like-minded individuals from a number of National Federations across the world in response to the persistent issues surrounding Olympic-style boxing’s international governing body, whose failure to address the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) longstanding concerns over sporting integrity, governance, transparency and financial management placed boxing’s future as an Olympic sport in doubt.

"World Boxing offers an alternative to this and was founded on the principles of integrity, honesty and excellence."  While at loggerheads with the IBA, the IOC organised the boxing competitions at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and in Paris.

Reacting to today's decision by the IOC EB, the president of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, said: "This is a very significant and important decision for Olympic boxing and takes the sport one step closer to being restored to the Olympic programme.

"I have no doubt it will be very positively received by everyone connected with boxing, at every level throughout the world, who understands the critical importance to the future of the sport of boxing continuing to remain a part of the Olympic movement.

"On behalf of everyone at World Boxing I would like to thank the EB of the IOC for the trust they have placed in our organisation and we hope for a positive outcome when the IOC Session meets this week.

"World Boxing understands that being part of the Olympic Games is a privilege and not a right and I assure the IOC that if boxing is restored to the programme for LA28, that World Boxing is completely committed to being a trustworthy and reliable partner that will adhere to and uphold the values of the Olympic Charter."