The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has circulated a letter to all its member clubs setting out its intention to join World Boxing.
Earlier this week, the International Olympic Committee's executive board recommended the inclusion of boxing in the Los Angeles 2028 summer Olympics, having already provisionally granted recognition to World Boxing.
The recommendation will now be put to a vote at the IOC session in Greece this week and is expected to pass easily, with boxing among the most popular Olympic sports.
The boxing competition at the Paris 2024 Games was run by the IOC after it had stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of recognition in 2023 over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance.
Last October, the IABA, which governs amateur boxing in Ireland, removed all references to the IBA from its constitution.
And in a letter from the chairperson of its board of directors, Niall O'Carroll, to member clubs, the IABA said that they will issue a 'Letter of Intent' to join World Boxing, with an extraordinary general meeting of all clubs to be held in April.
"Whilst I am flagging our intention to join World Boxing, the ultimate decision on this will be in the
hands of the members as I have stated since our first vote in August 2023," said O'Carroll in the letter.
"We will host another EGM in April to give the members the final say. Our constitution needs to be amended to ensure we have control of our future with regard to membership of any international federation we choose.
"In order for us to achieve constitutional change we will need a positive vote by 75% of our member clubs
attending. Our Olympic future is at stake.
"While it is expected this week that Boxing will be officially added to the competition schedule for LA28, it will be the case that any federation still connected to IBA will not be included.
"It is my duty as Chairperson to ensure the long-term future of Boxing in Ireland. Losing our Olympic status would be devastating for us all."
The IOC had not included boxing on the initial LA 2028 programme, having urged the sport's national federations to create a new global body. World Boxing, now with more than 80 national federations as members, was launched in 2023.
The IOC said only athletes whose national federations were members of World Boxing by the time of the start of the qualification events for the 2028 Olympics could take part in Los Angeles.
Boxing has been Ireland's most successful sport in the summer Olympics, with Kellie Harrington's lightweight gold in Paris last summer the 19th medal - and fourth gold - that Irish boxers have secured in the ring.
