A sixth new sport is going to be added to the Olympic Games that will be held in Los Angeles in 2028, despite the fact that it appeared that it would be eliminated at first.
The Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles for the third time in the city’s history, and the city administration is hoping to attract 15 million visitors to the fifty venues that will be hosting a variety of sports and events.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that flag football, a variant of American football, and squash will be added to the Games for the very first time. It has also been confirmed that softball and baseball, cricket and lacrosse will all be returning for the Games.
Following an eventful debut and the controversy that surrounded Raygun in Paris, it was confirmed that breaking would not be making a return in Los Angeles because of the controversy.
But in a similar vein, boxing was not included in the initial program due to concerns regarding funding, governance, and ethics. It was decided that a deadline would be established, but it seems that some of the ongoing issues have been resolved, which makes it possible for the sport to remain on the agenda.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) served as the governing body for the two most recent Olympic Games. This was due to the fact that the International Boxing Association (IBA), which was led by Russia, was suspended in 2019 and stripped of its status in 2023 due to the failure to implement reforms.
Regarding the gender eligibility of two female boxers who were competing in the women’s competition, both bodies were in disagreement with one another.
However, the International Olympic Committee has granted provisional recognition to World Boxing, which means that the organisation is now in a position to become the sport’s international governing federation.
When World Boxing was established in April 2023, it was subjected to an evaluation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which concluded that it had continued to make progress in important areas.
The outgoing president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, has expressed his confidence that the new body will receive the go-ahead at a session that will take place in Greece in the near future.
It was reported by the BBC that he made this statement on Monday. “After the provisional recognition of World Boxing in February, we were in a position to take this decision,” he said.
“This recommendation has to go to the session, but I am very confident they will approve it so that all the boxers of the world then have certainty they can participate in the Olympic Games in LA.”
Great Britain is one of the 84 countries that are members of World Boxing. At the beginning of the Olympic qualification events for 2028, the only athletes who will be eligible to compete are those who represent national federations that were members of World Boxing.
“On behalf of everyone at World Boxing, I would like to express our gratitude to the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee for the trust that they have placed in our organisation. We are hoping that the IOC Session that will take place this week will result in a positive outcome.
Boris van der Vorst, the President of World Boxing, expressed his reaction to the news by saying, “On behalf of everyone at World Boxing, I would like to thank the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee for the trust they have placed in our organisation, and we hope for a positive outcome when the IOC Session meets this week.” This statement was made in response to the news.
“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.”
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