THE Philippines will continue to support efforts to lobby for the inclusion of boxing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Philippine Olympic Committee president and Tagaytay Mayor Abraham Tolentino said this on reports that the International Olympic Committee did not include the sport on the LA 2028 program.
“The Philippines is part of the newly formed international federation, which was formed after the international federation, IBA, lost recognition due to bad governance. May bago, may idagdag na reforms dito,” said Tolentino.
Tolentino said this on Friday, when he and National Golf Association of the Philippine secretary general Bones Floro guested at The Agenda forum of Atty. Fred Mison at the Club Filipino in Greenhills.
A decision on boxing’s inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has to be made in 2025, according to IOC president Thomas Bach.
The boxing competition at the Paris Olympics was organized and ran by the IOC after it removed its recognition of the IBA last year over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance.
The Philippines bagged two bronze medals in the Paris games behind the performances of female boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.
The IOC has told national boxing federations to create a new global boxing body or risk missing out on the Olympics in four years’ time.
Tolentino said the new body will seek reforms in judging and scoring, where a challenge system will be put in place.
Next year, the IOC will make a decision on the sport’s fate, if boxing will or will not be part of Los Angeles event.
A new organization called World Boxing was put up in 2023 and currently has 37 members.
To be recognized by the IOC, the body needs at least 50 members.
“There’s lobby and the organization needs more than 50 members. Pero malapit nang mag-50. So, may pag-asa,” said Tolentino.
The IOC withdrew its support of the IBA in 2019 over governance, finance, refereeing and ethical issues.
