Boxing receives official IOC thumbs-up for Los Angeles 2028

Philippines’ Aira Villegas celebrates after defeating France’s Wassila Lkhadiri in their women’s 50kg quarterfinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Boxing will feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after International Olympic Committee members voted unanimously for its inclusion on Thursday.

The sport had already passed one test when the IOC Executive Board on Monday recognized World Boxing as the federation to oversee the sport.

It ends years of divisions over the way the sport — which has featured at every Olympic Games since 1904, except Stockholm in 1912 as it was barred under a Swedish law — is run.

READ: IOC recognition of World Boxing fuels PH boxer’s hope

The IOC stepped in to organise the boxing tournaments at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Paris Olympics last year after breaking with the Russian-led International Boxing Association over financial, governance and ethical concerns.

IOC president Thomas Bach had warned that boxing’s national federations needed to find a new and “reliable” international partner if it wanted to be included at the 2028 Games.

Last month, the IOC provisionally recognised World Boxing as the body to oversee the sport at future Olympics.

READ: IOC board puts boxing back on the Olympic program for LA in 2028

It is one of the last votes to be conducted under Bach, whose 12-year tenure is coming to a close.

His successor as president will be decided in a vote later on Thursday.

There are seven candidates, with the front-runners IOC veteran Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe and former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe.