The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has voted to expel the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the Olympic Games.
Of the 80 members to vote, 69 voted to expel the IBA, 10 abstained and just one voted in favour of the IBA.
In good news for Irish Olympic medal hopes, boxing, which had been due to cease being an Olympic sport after the 2024 Games in Paris, will feature at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
READ MORE: Ireland supports new breakaway governing body World Boxing amid future Olympic fears
“We do not have a problem with boxing, we do not have a problem with boxers,” said IOC President Thomas Bach after the vote, “On the contrary, we appreciate the boxers for living the values of their sport.
“If we had a problem with boxers there would not have been a competition in Tokyo. There would be no boxing competition in Paris.”
The rift between the two organisations stretches back to 2018 when the IOC suspended the IBA from the Olympics after losing faith in the governing bodies ability to run the sport. Boxing remained part of the program for the 2020 Games in Tokyo but was organised by the IOC and not the IBA.
Tensions intensified last year when IBA President Umar Kremlev of Russia refused to step down after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But the three main areas of concern have been corruption, finances and judging, concerns which the IOC believe have been ignored.
“We highly value the sport of boxing but unfortunately we have an extremely serious problem with the IBA because of their governance,” said Bach.
“We believe the boxers fully deserve to be governed by an international federation with integrity and transparency.
“There has been a constant lack of drastic revolution throughout the many years. It is a situation of no return. The only conclusion is to withdraw recognition.”
Ireland has long been on the side of the IOC in this debate and did not send athletes to the IBA World Championship earlier this year.
Irish boxing also announced their support for a new governing body launched in April called 'World Boxing,' a breakaway group which includes the UK and USA as founding members.
