Algeria, Japan join World Boxing governing body

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The Algerian boxing federation that is home to Olympic champion Imane Khelif on Tuesday joined the World Boxing group that wants to save the sport’s place at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Algeria and Japan joining World Boxing increases the organization’s membership to 44 federations, with applications from more countries being processed.

Boxing’s Olympic status is uncertain. The International Olympic Committee has set a deadline of early next year for a credible governing body to be in place after years of turmoil with the International Boxing Association.

The Russian-led IBA was formally banished by the IOC in June 2023 and their yearslong dispute flared at the Paris Games. Khelif and another female gold medalist, Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, were caught up in a global furor and misinformation about their gender.

Khelif and Lin had been disqualified by the IBA ahead of medal bouts at the 2023 women’s world championships over claims they failed eligibility tests. The boxers qualified for the Olympics, where they were supported by the IOC. Details of the IBA’s claims remained murky.

World Boxing, which also added Taiwan as a member since the Olympics, has been working with the IOC to become the recognized governing body.

The decision by Algeria and Japan “is further evidence of the widespread desire for change that exists across our sport,” World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst said in a statement, “and illustrates how important it is that we retain boxing’s place at the heart of the Olympic movement.”