Boxing approved for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) unanimously voted Thursday to include boxing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The IOC executive board approved the addition of boxing Monday before Thursday's final vote.

World Boxing, a governing body formed in 2023, will organize the tournament for the first time. The IOC granted provisional recognition to World Boxing in February, a key step in putting the sport back on the program in 2028.

"I thank you for the approval of having boxing back," IOC president Thomas Bach said Thursday, according to ESPN. "We can look forward to a great boxing tournament."

Significant doubts arose about boxing's Olympic future after the IOC initially excluded the sport from the 2028 Games.

The IOC ran the boxing tournament at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Paris Olympics in 2024 after its relationship with the International Boxing Association (IBA) soured. The committee officially stripped the IBA of recognition in 2023 for failing to address governance and finance concerns and implement reform.

The IOC said last year it needed a new global body to replace the IBA.

"This is a great day for boxers, boxing, and everyone connected with our sport at every level across the world," World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst said.

He added, "World Boxing understands that being part of the Olympic Games is a privilege and not a right, and we are determined to be a trustworthy and reliable partner that will adhere to and uphold the values of the Olympic Movement."