Could Boxing Be Removed From The Olympics? IOC Says Yes
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) isn’t playing any games. After the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the IOC has threatened to remove boxing, weightlifting and the pentathlon from the programme in 2028 if major reform is not done for the sports. Weightlifting is in deep waters with anti-doping movements. The pentathlon is being asked to remove horse racing for something “more inclusive.” Boxing, which we will be focusing on today, is being required to make drastic changes after the AIBA was exposed for corruption and match fixing by Richard McLaren.
IOC President Thomas Bach has gone on record calling weightlifting and boxing “the problem children of the Olympics.” It’s understandable as both sports have not aided by the IOC Olympic Spirit code. Of boxing, Bach said, “AIBA must demonstrate that it has successfully addressed the ongoing concerns around its governance, financial transparency and sustainability and the integrity of its refereeing and judging processes.”
The AIBA has been working on fixes for the corruption and match fixed exposed by McLaren. Recently, a report came out that AI was being used to identify judging compromise risks. The technology was lauded by Roy Jones Jr., the most notable Olympic robbery of all time.
AIBA and Corruption in the sport
It’s no secret that corruption and AIBA have always gone hand in hand. But under the threat of being excluded by the IOC, actions have been taken to fix the issues that have long plagued the sport. In 1988, Roy Jones Jr. was robbed of the gold medal against Park Si-hun. More recently, Mick Conlan was robbed of a bout in the Olympic Games as well.
McLaren exposed AIBA for corruption, which has been obvious for years. AIBA has been fixing matches, in and out of the Olympic Games for decades now and this is the biggest move to fix the issues.
For the 2028 programme, Thomas Bach didn’t provide any info on kickboxing, Sambo or Muay Thai, which had it’s athletic federations fully recognized by the IOC this past cycle. Karate, on the other hand, seems to be a one off and will not return to Paris in 2024. As for mixed martial arts, the path to the Olympics is still a long ways off, albeit there is some optimism that it could make it’s debut in 2028 in Los Angeles.
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