Courtesy: IBA/Google

Courtesy: IBA/Google

In an open letter to newly elected US President Donald Trump, the International Boxing Association (IBA) has asked him to "look into" the sport's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Earlier in 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the IBA, which oversaw the Olympic Games' boxing programme, with concerns over its finances, governance, ethics, officiating, and judging. After failing to meet the IOC's needed reforms, the IBA was stripped of its position, a decision upheld in April 2024 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) following an appeal. 

Boxing is currently not part of the 2028 LA OIympics plan, but a final decision on its inclusion has yet to be made. World Boxing, which aims to get recognition for managing Olympic boxing, has already attracted 60 members. However, the Russian-led IBA, which wants to re-establish its own governing body, has requested Trump to assist in restoring boxing to the Olympic schedule.

We hope boxing will be the part of 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles: IBA to Donald Trump

The open letter mentioned that the IBA hopes to include boxing in the Olympics. "They [the IOC] have announced in the last 12 months that boxing will not be part of the Olympic program for LA28; it would be very much appreciated if your team could look into this situation," the open letter read.

"We sincerely hope that boxing will be part of the celebrations in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, and will indeed become a great showcase of genuine love for the sport from the American nation and fans worldwide." Further, the association welcomed Trump's stance over the "participation of ineligible athletes" in boxing. There was an uproar in the 2024 Paris Olympics due to gender eligibility.

Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting had won gold in France, despite the IBA disqualifying both athletes from the 2023 World Championships. The association claimed that both athletes "failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women's competition, as set and laid out in the IBA regulations."