Boxing to be part of LA28 sports programme

20 March 2025 – Boxing will be included on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28). This was approved today by the 144th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session during the second day of its meeting in Costa Navarino, Greece.

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.

Boxing was not included on the LA28 initial sports programme approved by the IOC Session in February 2022, because of the then-ongoing concerns around the then-IF for boxing, the International Boxing Association (IBA). Following the withdrawal of the IBA’s recognition on 22 June 2023, the inclusion of boxing on the LA28 sports programme remained on hold.

The IOC made it clear that National Boxing Federations had to reach a consensus around a new IF in order for boxing to be included on the sports programme of the Olympic Games LA28. Following an assessment of the various criteria regarding governance and sports integrity, the IOC EB decided on 26 February to provisionally recognise World Boxing, which is currently composed of 88 National Federations across the five continents.

Boxing at the Olympic Games

The sport of boxing has a long tradition at the Olympic Games. It was first included in the modern Olympic Games in 1904, and has been contested at every edition since then except for Stockholm 1912, due to a local law banning the sport at the time.

At the most recent Olympic Games, in Paris, the boxing competition and its qualifying tournaments were organised under the authority of the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, an ad hoc task force created by the IOC EB following the withdrawal of recognition of the IBA. This decision was taken in order to protect athlete participation at Paris 2024 and deliver a clear, fair and transparent pathway for boxers to qualify, ensuring a fair and just competition.

At Paris 2024, 68 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were represented in the boxing competition. In all, 31 of them medalled across the 13 events, including Cabo Verde and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, which claimed their first-ever Olympic medals (bronze). This was the highest ratio of competing NOCs to medal in one sport at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.