JOA welcomes boxing’s inclusion in 2028 Olympics

Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president Christopher Samuda has thrown his support behind the recommendation for the inclusion of boxing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, as the sport was set to be excluded from the programme.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board yesterday gave the green light to the recommendation for boxing to be included in the upcoming Olympics after resolving their issues with the sport's global governing body.

"After the provisional recognition of World Boxing in February we were in a position to take this decision," IOC president Thomas Bach revealed yesterday.

"This recommendation has to go to the session, but I am very confident they will approve it so that all the boxers of the world will then have certainty they can participate in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles."

The recommendation is now set to be brought before the IOC session, which begins today in Greece, which Bach considers a formality ahead of the sport's inclusion.

Boxing had been removed from the Olympic programme after the sport's former governing body, the International Boxing Association (IBA), was suspended by the IOC in 2019 before being stripped of its status in 2023 due a failure to implement reforms.

Samuda, the JOA president, has welcomed the news as he believes it is important that a traditional sport like boxing maintains its place in the programme.

"The decision of the IOC Executive Board to include boxing in the LA Olympic games is great news," Samuda said.

"Boxing as a combat sport is symbolic of the strength, resilience, and valour of the Olympic spirit and embodies quintessentially the physical culture and traditional history of the games and movement."

He also stated that the news will also be well received by current boxers who will begin their training towards qualification for the upcoming Olympic cycle.

Samuda has urged the IOC session to ensure the recommendation is passed so that boxing can officially be included at the 2028 Olympics.

"Several aspiring Olympic boxers, including our own, have been waiting at ringside to go on the canvas in making their mark. I am impressed with the work of our local association, which continues to build the sport from a pool of talented boxers," he said.

"The executive board of the IOC has made the right decision in the interest of the Olympic movement, and I have no doubt that the members in session will approve."

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com