PADDY BARNES, the two-time Olympic bronze medalist with Ireland will write a letter to the president of the International Olympic Committee asking for the sport of boxing to be reinstated for the LA Olympics in 2028.
Boxing is Ireland's most successful sport with 50% of its medals coming from the sport over the years.
Boxers like Katie Taylor, Kellie Harrington, Barnes himself, Michael Conlan have all won some class of a medal during their time at the games and more is expected at the 2024 Paris games.
However, The International Olympic Committee is set to remove the sport from the Games after Paris 2024, meaning that in 2028 the LA games will not have Irish boxing hopefuls.
The IBA (former AIBA) was not allowed to organise the Boxing tournament at the Tokyo Olympics last year and the same scenario applies to Paris 2024.
The IABA, who are part of the Common Cause Alliance are not happy with the letters involvement in the sport and could look to breakaway from that partnership.
Barnes, who is a member of the Olympic Federation of Ireland Athletes’ Commission has received support from other boxers and has confirmed that he will send a letter penned a letter to IOC president Thomas Bach.
Paddy Barnes has written to IOC chief Thomas Bach and to boxing chiefs around the world in a bid to rescue the sport's presence at LA 2028https://t.co/4NezUGDYlN
— Irish Mirror Sport (@MirrorSportIE) December 14, 2022
“At the minute we’re not just advocating for Irish boxing, we are advocating for world boxing," said Barnes
"I have written a letter and we are going to send it collectively to Thomas Bach, I think today, in the hope that they change their mind.
"You will see the letter soon. It gives details and reasons why it should stay.
"Obviously there are issues in governance with IBA but it has been run before by the IOC. I don’t see why it can’t be now.
"The letter details why it should be run and the different issues if boxing is excluded from LA, how it can impact not just boxing but social problems in working class areas and a lot more stuff.
"I really do believe that boxing will be a part of the programme in LA.”
According to The Independent the Executive Board of the IOC strongly hinted last week that boxing would be restored for the 2028 Games but would be run by an organisation other than the IBA which has been suspended by the IOC since before the Tokyo Games.
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