Official: Boxing will be in LA28

Members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted unanimously on Thursday to include the sport in the programme of the 31st Summer Games. The decision follows the provisional recognition of World Boxing as its global governing body on 26 February.

The uncertainty that has surrounded the discipline for the past three years has now been resolved - at least as far as its immediate Olympic future is concerned. Originally excluded from the list of sports approved for Los Angeles 2028 at the IOC's 139th Session in February 2022 due to disputes with the International Boxing Association (IBA), it's now back in the fold.

Citing governance concerns, the IBA's recognition was subsequently withdrawn on 22 June 2023, leading to the creation of World Boxing, a new structure created precisely to take its place. In the meantime, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were held, with the boxing qualifying tournaments being organised under the authority of the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, an ad hoc task force managed by the IOC Executive Board.

During the past Summer Games, IOC President Thomas Bach stated that boxing would be excluded from the programme if there was no recognised governing body by early 2025. That uncertainty ended when World Boxing convinced the IOC and was granted provisional permission to take on that role. It was only the first step, however, as the initial recommendation later became official.

Bach had already warned national boxing federations that they needed to find a "reliable" international partner if they wanted the sport to be included in the 2028 Olympics. Many federations were left in doubt about the future of the sport as the outlook remained unclear. The IBA attempted to defend its position - and that of its 120+ member federations - through legal action, while World Boxing continued to expand, aiming to surpass the 75-federation threshold required by the IOC for recognition. Eventually, World Boxing reached 84 national federations, according to official figures.

With the latest IOC vote in Greece, boxing will now continue its long Olympic tradition, having been included in every edition since 1904, with the exception of Stockholm in 1912, when it was banned under Swedish law.

"We have made only one real decision, and that is to include boxing in the programme for the Los Angeles Games," Bach said during a press conference. Thursday's vote in Greece will be one of the last major decisions under his presidency, as his 12-year term as IOC president comes to an end.

Bach chose not to seek re-election, and the new presidential vote will also take place Thursday, with seven candidates competing for the role:

Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. (Spain) – Vice-president of the IOC

Sebastian Coe (UK) – President of World Athletics  

Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe) – Former Olympic swimmer  

Johan Eliasch (Sweden) – President of the International Ski Federation (FIS)  

Morinari Watanabe (Japan) – President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)  

David Lappartient (France) – President of the International Cycling Union (UCI)  

Feisal Al Hussein (Jordan) – Member of the Jordanian royal family