Boxing crisis at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics: Out of the Olympics again after 116 years?

Boxing, one of the well-established branches of the Olympic Games, faces great uncertainty ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Due to the recognition crisis between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Boxing Association ( IBA), it is still unclear whether boxing will participate in the 2028 Olympic Games.

The 141st session of the IOC was held in Mumbai, India. At this meeting, decisions were discussed about the sports branches that will participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

However, the IOC’s decision to postpone the decision on boxing brought the current issues between the IOC and IBA back to the agenda. If an agreement cannot be reached between the parties, boxing may not find a place in the Olympic Games for the first time in 116 years.

IT DIDN’T JUST HAPPEN IN 1912

According to history books, boxing was first accepted as an Olympic branch at the Olympic Games held in Saint Louis, United States, in 1904.

However, at the Olympic Games held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912, boxing was not included in the Olympic Games due to the country’s laws. After this date, boxing has participated in the Olympic Games uninterruptedly, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

If boxing is not included in the 2028 Olympic Games, this branch will be removed from the Olympic program again after 116 years.

WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN THE IOC AND THE IBA

The problems between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Amateur Boxing Association (formerly AIBA) continue since the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The IOC revoked the right of the AIBA to organize boxing competitions at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Paris 2024, and this decision was also valid for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

AIBA’s management, financial and ethical problems, as well as the errors of the referees and their inability to address problems in the scoring system, influenced the IOC’s decision. In particular, AIBA’s financial dependence on the Russian energy company Gazprom was one of the issues that concerned the IOC.

What happened at the IBA Ordinary General Assembly held in Istanbul in 2022 also increased tension between the two institutions. The day before the election, the IBA’s Provisional Nomination Unit declared Dutchman Boris van der Vorst and three other candidates ineligible to stand for election. However, the CAS ruled that Van der Vorst did not unfairly participate in the elections and that IBA president Umar Kremlev also violated electoral rules. Van der Vorst’s proposal for a new election was not accepted by the IBA delegates.

Meeting in June 2023, the IOC announced that the AIBA would end its status as boxing’s world governing body. The AIBA responded to this situation by saying: “The IOC has made a colossal mistake by revealing its true politicized nature with this decision.” made the statement.

During this period, the World Boxing Federation (World Boxing), which was created in April and is made up of 16 countries, stated that it welcomed the IOC’s decision and stated that “the IOC’s decision is a turning point for boxing and They greet her.”

TURKEY’S BOXING SUCCESS

Turkey was represented on the Olympic stages with a total of 7 medals in boxing. The most valuable of these medals was won at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

National athlete Busenaz Sürmeneli won a gold medal at these Olympic Games and gave our country the first Olympic gold in boxing. Turkey’s first encounter with an Olympic medal in boxing was at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Eyüp Can and Turgut Aytaç won the bronze medal in these Olympic Games. While Buse Naz Çakıroğlu won the silver medal in Tokyo 2020, Malik Beyleroğlu in Atlanta 1996 and Atagün Yalçınkaya in Athens 2004, Yakup Kılıç honored our country with a bronze medal in Beijing 2008.

USE OF THE HELMET IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES

With the 2016 Rio Olympics, a significant change occurred in men’s boxing.

By a joint decision of the IOC and AIBA, the use of helmets for men has been suspended since 2016. However, after women’s boxing was included in the Olympic program with the London 2012 Olympic Games, female boxers continue to wear helmets in competitions. (AA)