COSTA NAVARINO, Greece (AP) — Boxing is set to be on the program for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles after years of disputes over how the sport is run.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Monday the executive board he chairs approved including boxing on the 2028 program.
It still needs a full IOC Session of about 100 members to sign off on the decision later this week, but that is usually a formality.
The IOC organized the boxing tournaments at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 and the Paris Summer Games last year after relations with the Russian-led International Boxing Association broke down, but said it needed a new partner in time for 2028.
Last month, the IOC recognized a new governing body, World Boxing.
“I am very confident that the session will approve it so that all the boxers of the world then have certainty that they can participate in the Olympic Games L.A. 2028 if their national federation is recognized by World Boxing," Bach said.
The IOC suspended the IBA in 2019 following long-running disputes over governance, its finances and the integrity of bouts and judging, and took the rare step of banishing it from the Olympic movement entirely in 2023, shortly after some IBA members broke away to form World Boxing.
Since it was suspended, the IBA and its Russian president Umar Kremlev have continued to feud with the IOC, particularly over the rules on eligibility for women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics.
The IBA said last month it planned to file criminal complaints against the IOC in the United States, France and Switzerland.
World Boxing is expected to work on reviewing and updating rules on female eligibility that need to be in place before Olympic qualifying events start, likely next year.
“This is a very significant and important decision for Olympic boxing and takes the sport one step closer to being restored to the Olympic program," World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst said in a statement Monday.
“I have no doubt it will be very positively received by everyone connected with boxing, at every level throughout the world, who understands the critical importance to the future of the sport of boxing continuing to remain a part of the Olympic movement."
American and British boxing officials were among World Boxing's founders in 2023, and the breakaway body has since added countries with key influence in Olympic circles, including India and, last week, China.
The new boxing body now has a membership of more than 80 national federations though Russia, Spain and many African countries are among those which did not yet sign up.
The IOC indicated Monday that national boxing bodies would be given time to switch allegiance to World Boxing before qualification begins.
Like boxing's IBA, the Russian Olympic Committee has been exiled by Bach and the IOC.
There seems to be no immediate way back right now from the suspension imposed in October 2023 for what was effectively a land grab of regional sports councils in eastern Ukraine.
“The ball is in the court of the Russian Olympic Committee,” Bach said Monday, though he added “on the working level the contacts have always been maintained."
The Russian Olympic body was cut off nearly 18 months ago from receiving a share of revenue from Olympic Games for acts that “violates the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine,” the IOC said in 2023.
“They have to follow the rules," Bach said Monday. “Everybody in the Olympic Movement who is following the rules of the Olympic Charter is welcome, and everybody who is not following the Olympic Charter is not welcome.”
Some Russian athletes did compete at the 2024 Paris Summer Games as vetted neutrals in individual sports, and a similar system is currently likely to operate next February at the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Games.
James Ellingworth in Duesseldorf, Germany, contributed to this report.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks during a press conference, ahead of the 144th session which will elect the new IOC President, in Costa Navarino, southwestern Greece, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks during a press conference, ahead of the 144th session which will elect the new IOC President, in Costa Navarino, southwestern Greece, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach leaves after a press conference, ahead of the 144th session which will elect the new IOC President, in Costa Navarino, southwestern Greece, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks during a press conference, ahead of the 144th session which will elect the new IOC President, in Costa Navarino, southwestern Greece, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
MONTREAL (AP) — Nick Suzuki’s power-play goal late in the third period lifted the Montreal Canadiens over Ottawa 6-3 on Tuesday night, snapping the Senators six-game winning streak
Josh Anderson scored twice, including an empty-netter, while Lane Hutson and Christian Dvorak also had goals for Montreal. Brendan Gallagher added a second into the empty net and Sam Montembeault stopped 22 shots.
Travis Hamonic had a goal and an assist for the Senators while Michael Amadio and Drake Batherson also found the back of the net. Linus Ullmark made 27 saves.
Suzuki buried his shot into an open cage at 15:23 after Ullmark failed to properly cover the puck, helping Montreal take a 4-3 lead. The Canadiens have now won three of their last four games.
FLAMES 2, RANGERS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Nazem Kadri and Matt Coronato scored first-period goals and Calgary beat New York.
Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar added two assists and Kadri aslo had an assist for the Flames who snapped a three-game losing streak. Dan Vladar made 12 saves.
Artemi Panarin scored his 30th goal for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin finished with 33 saves. New York lost its second straight with another subpar home performance as it was outshot 35-13.
The Rangers dropped out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with Montreal’s win over Ottawa.
ISLANDERS 4, PENGUINS 2
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pierre Engvall scored the tiebreaking goal in New York’s four-goal third period, and the Islanders rallied to beat Pittsburgh.
Kyle Palmieri had a goal and two assists, Noah Dobson added a goal and an assist, and Simon Holmstrom also scored to help New York get four goals in the third after trailing 2-0 for the second straight game. Ilya Sorokin finished with 20 saves.
Sidney Crosby scored his 24th goal, Joona Koppanen got the first of his NHL career and Tristan Jarry stopped 34 shots for the Penguins, who snapped a four-game win streak.
CAPITALS 4, RED WINGS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dylan Strome had a goal and an assist and Washington beat Detroit.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Tom Wilson and Connor McMichael also scored for Washington, winners of seven of the last eight.
Dylan Larkin scored the lone goal for the Red Wings, who have lost eight of their last 10 and remain two points out of a playoff spot.
Logan Thompson made 22 saves to win his fifth straight start and advance to 30-4-5 on the season. He is two wins away from tying Jose Theodore’s franchise record for the most wins in his first season with the team.
Petr Mrazek, who made his fourth straight start in goal, stopped 22 of 26 to fall to 12-21-2.
BLUES 4, PREDATORS 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jordan Kyrou scored two goals, Joel Hofer made 22 saves and St. Louis defeated Nashville.
Justin Faulk and Jake Neighbours each had a goal and an assist and Dylan Holloway had three assists for St. Louis, winners of three straight.
Brady Skjei scored and Juuse Saros, playing in his 400th career game, made 17 saves for the Predators, losers of three straight.
The Blues entered Tuesday just outside the Western Conference’s second wild card position, even in points with the Vancouver Canucks, but having played one more game than Vancouver.
STARS 4, DUCKS 3, 0T
DALLAS ( AP) — Mikael Granlund’s second goal of the game 2:32 into overtime gave him 600 career points and lifted Dallas to a come-from-behind win over Anaheim.
Defenseman Thomas Harley had a goal and two assists and Wyatt Johnston also scored for the Stars, who have won eight consecutive home games for the first time since January-March 2006. Jake Oettinger made 22 saves.
Leo Carlsson scored two goals, one on a penalty shot, and rookie Nikita Nesterenko also scored for the Ducks, who are 2-5-1 in their last eight games. Lukas Dostal stopped 27 shots.
Granlund has three goals and 11 points since being acquired from San Jose on Feb. 1.
KRAKEN 6, BLACKHAWKS 2
CHICAGO (AP) - Shane Wright scored twice, Adam Larsson had a goal and two assists, and Seattle beat Chicago.
Matty Beniers had a goal and an assist, Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann also scored, and Andre Burakovsky had two assits for the Kraken, who trailed by two late in the first period. Joey Daccord stopped 26 shots to move to 23-18-4 on the season.
Tyler Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist, and Connor Bedard also scored for Chicago, which has lost six of its last seven games (1-4-2). Spencer Knight had 24 saves.
OILERS 7, UTAH 1
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist and Calvin Pickard stopped 29 shots as Edmonton beat Utah.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Mattias Ekholm each had a goal and two assists, and Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson also scored for the Oilers, who pulled two points behind first-place Vegas in the Pacific Division.
Sean Durzi scored for Utah. Karel Vejmelka gave up three goals on 14 shots in the first period, and Jaxson Stauber had 24 saves over the final 40 minutes.
CANUCKS 6, JETS 2
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brock Boeser scored twice and had an assist as Vancouver handed Winnipeg a drubbing.
Pius Suter added two goals, including one into an empty net, while Nils Hoglander and Drew O’Connor had one goal each and Quinn Hughes contributed two assists. Kevin Lankinen stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Alex Iafallo scores for the Jets, whose three-game win streak came to an end. Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves.
Montreal Canadiens' Nick Suzuki (14) scores on Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) for the go-ahead goal during third period NHL hockey action in Montreal on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
