Boxing will be in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games

Finally, boxing will be included in the program of the Olympic Games of Los Angeles 2028. The members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted unanimously in favor of this sport being part of the next Olympic event.

Until the last moment, boxing’s presence at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics remained uncertain. However, it has now been confirmed after the IOC officially recognized World Boxing as the sport’s governing body, replacing the International Boxing Association (IBA).

"This decision was based on the proposal from the IOC Executive Board (EB), following the recommendation from the Olympic Programme Commission, and the provisional recognition of World Boxing as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level," the IOC underlined in a communiqué.

The exclusion of the IBA as the governing body for national boxing federations is due to the breakdown of relations between the IOC and the association, which is accused of being run by Russia and having financial, ethical and governance problems.

Thomas Bach, who at the time chaired the IOC, asked the national boxing federations to look for a new body to guide them. Until they came up with World Boxing, which has received acceptance from the top international sports body.

Boxing has almost always been present at the Olympic Games since 1904. It was only not part of the event in Stockholm 1912, because the Constitution of Sweden prohibited the practice of this sport in the country.

In Paris 2024, boxing starred in one of the many controversies in which Olympic event: two athletes with XY chromosomes - Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting - participated in the women's category. A case that went around the world and was even present at the American political level.