German International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach opens in Lausanne on June 22, 2023, an extraordinary hybrid IOC Session to vote to withdraw its recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) over its failure to address governance, finance and corruption concerns. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

Boxing to Be Held at 2024 Paris Olympics Despite IBA Being Banished by IOC After Vote

Tyler ConwayJun 22, 2023

The International Olympic Committee voted to derecognize the International Boxing Association as a governing body Thursday, but that will not impact the status of the sport for the 2024 Olympic Games.

IOC president Thomas Bach expressed support for boxing but said the leadership of the IBA left the committee little choice but to take drastic action.

"We highly value the sport of boxing. We have an extremely serious problem with IBA because of their governance," Bach said Thursday, per the Associated Press.

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The IOC has expressed concerns regarding the integrity of matches, along with issues with management and the presence of financial backing from Russian state energy firm Gazprom.

Thursday's decision was years in the making, with the IOC already taking governance over boxing at the 2021 Summer Games. The IOC will handle boxing at the 2024 Games as well and remains committed to keeping the sport on the books for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

"We appreciate boxing as one of the most global sports. We embrace the values of boxing," Bach said.

While boxing's overall importance in the Olympics has taken a downturn in recent decades—it was once one of the Games' most anticipated events—it nevertheless draws a swath of competitors from all around the globe. Twenty-five different countries won boxing medals in 2021.