Amateur boxing chiefs are hopeful of Donald Trump getting their sport back into the Olympics.
The International Boxing Association (IBA), which has been banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from managing the sport in the last two Games, has made a daring attempt to involve the United States president in their bid to reinstate boxing into the Olympics.
Trump, who has previously promoted professional boxing and will be in office during the 2028 Olympics in LA, is being approached.
Boxing is currently not included in the US Games due to years of political disputes between the IOC and IBA over concerns about its finances, governance, ethics, refereeing and judging.
The IBA’s top officials have penned an open letter to Trump, stating: “They [the IOC] have announced in the last 12 months that boxing will not be part of the Olympic program for LA28; it would be very much appreciated if your team could look in to this situation.
“We sincerely hope that boxing will be part of the celebrations in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, and will indeed become a great showcase of genuine love to the sport from the American nation and fans worldwide.”
The IOC organised boxing at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. World Boxing, a new body involved in the amateur code, is lobbying the IOC to reintroduce the sport into the Games and currently boasts 60 members including GB Boxing, USA Boxing and leading boxing nation Uzbekistan.
However, the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), which still counts boxing powerhouse Cuba among its members, maintains that they are the world governing body.
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