The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has voted to scrap the International Boxing Association (IBA) which means that the IBA is no longer seen as the world governing body of boxing.
Based on this development, the IOC will be in charge of organizing boxing at the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024 just like how the Olympic body did in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Out of the 70 valid votes of the members of the Olympic committee, 69 of the members voted for the IBA to lose its status as the governing body of boxing.
The IOC had to vote to scrap the boxing governing body in response to issues with the IBA’s finances, governance, ethics, officiating, and judging.
Boxing was not included in the inaugural Los Angeles 2028 calendar, but IOC Director General Christophe de Kepper promised the sport will be added to the schedule in five years during the 140th IOC session, where the vote took place.
The IOC will complete the creation of the Games schedule in October.
“We do not have a problem with boxing. We do not have a problem with boxers”, IOC president Thomas Bach said before the Olympics body voted to scrap the boxing governing body.
“The boxers fully deserve to be governed by an international federation with integrity and transparency.”
Immediately after it was announced that the IOC has scrapped the IBA, the boxing body described the decision as a “tremendous error”.
A statement from the boxing body read: “We have successfully implemented all recommendations outlined by the IOC in its roadmap.
“Despite the challenges, the IBA remains committed to the development of boxing and the organization of official tournaments and World Boxing Championships at the highest level.”
Meanwhile, World Boxing, a new body for boxing which broke out of the embattled IBA in April 2023, has applauded the IOC’s decision to scrap the IBA.
Even though the IOC is yet to recognize World Boxing as the governing body of boxing in the world, the new body expressed its readiness to work with the Olympic body.
A statement from the new body read, “World Boxing understands that being part of the Olympic Games is a privilege and not a right.
“It is committed to working constructively and collaboratively with the IOC and all other stakeholders to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s long-term place on the Olympic programme.”
