The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has formally joined World Boxing, securing the Olympic future of the sport for Ireland.
The IABA, which governs amateur boxing in Ireland, has long been affiliated to the International Boxing Association (IBA, formerly AIBA) but that organisation has been blacklisted by the International Olympic Committee.
At a vote in April, IABA member clubs voted in favour of removing a reference to IBA/AIBA from the national governing body's constitution. That in turn paved the way for a subsequent vote on dual membership with both the IBA and World Boxing, which passed overwhelmingly.
The application to join World Boxing has now been approved and Ireland is one of 17 national federations to join the organisation today, taking the total membership to 106 countries.
The move comes after the IOC's executive board recommended the inclusion of boxing in the LA 2028 summer Olympics programme, having already provisionally granted recognition to World Boxing.
The boxing competition at the Paris 2024 Games was run by the IOC after it had stripped the IBA of recognition in 2023 over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance.
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.
Chair of IABA's Board of Directors, Niall O’Carroll welcomed today's news and said: "This is a watershed moment for Irish Boxing, following the resounding "yes" of member clubs to safeguarding our Olympic future at our EGM in April.
"Every kid in every boxing club in the Association deserves the Olympic dream – and their clubs have made sure that dream can live on, to LA 2028 and beyond.
"Irish Boxing has always valued our Olympic journey – from our first team of 9 boxers at Paris 1924, to winning 19 medals over the last 100 years and maintaining our standing as Team Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport.
"Kellie (Harrington, double Olympic gold medalist Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024), Katie (Taylor, London 2012 champion) and Michael (Carruth, Barcelona 1992), are the best of us, but we have more Olympic podiums to climb, and more medals to win. Our joining of World Boxing today ensures that."
