PARIS, August 9. /TASS/. National sports boxing federations should form a credible international organization in order to see boxing events taking place at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach said on Friday.
"The position is very clear. The IOC will not organize boxing in LA [Los Angeles] without a reliable partner," Bach said speaking at a news conference in France.
The US city of Los Angeles is set to host the 2028 Olympics, Italian cities Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo will host the 2026 Winter Olympics and Australia’s Brisbane will be home to the 2032 Summer Games.
"If these national federations want their athletes to be able to win Olympic medals, they have to organize themselves in a reliable international federation with good governance and respecting all the requirements the IOC puts on an Olympic international federation," the IOC chief added.
In late May, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared that boxers representing national federations that are members of the International Boxing Association (IBA) would be banned from the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in the United States.
President of the International Boxing Federation (IBA) Umar Kremlev told journalists last month that boxing is sport in its purest form and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cannot keep it out of the Olympics.
"Boxing has a long history, it is a true sport," Kremlev noted. "Boxing is the most popular sport; in football 22 players pack a stadium, whereas in boxing it only takes two."
IBA’s situation
In 2019, the IOC announced a decision to temporarily revoke the IBA's recognition status with the organization citing the financial and management crisis within the IBA as the reason. The IOC demanded the international boxing federation make reforms and suspended it from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In June 2023, the IOC ruled at its session to strip the IBA of its Olympic membership stating that the boxing federation "failed to fulfil the conditions set by the IOC in its decision communicated to the IBA on 9 December 2021 - which was not challenged by the IBA - for lifting the suspension of the IBA’s recognition."
Russia’s Umar Kremlev took the reins of the IBA in late 2020 and the international boxing federation took a stance against the IOC's recommendations to strip athletes representing Russia and Belarus of their national identity. Boxers from both countries compete in IBA-sponsored events without any international restrictions.
The boxing federations of the United States, Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and the Philippines canceled their membership in protest and formed a new international organization, World Boxing.
In mid-October 2023, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach ruled out any chance of the International Boxing Association (IBA) being reinstated to the Olympic movement.
"With the IBA there’s no ongoing process, for us the case is closed… There will be no boxing with IBA in the Olympic program. It’s done. Full stop."
Commenting on the status of World Boxing, Bach said it still had some work to do if it wants to be recognized by the IOC.