Beijing 2022: Blow for Thailand as IOC drops two sports

Thailand’s bid for further Olympic glory could suffer a blow as boxing and weightlifting have been dropped from the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday approved a programme of 28 sports, with a “strong focus on youth,” the BBC reported.

Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing have been included. LA will be able to propose additional sports in 2023.

Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon could be added to the programme next year if they successfully demonstrate they have addressed issues within their sports, said the BBC.

Boxing’s international federation, the Aiba, must show it has addressed concerns around the sport’s governance and the integrity of its refereeing and judging processes.

In September, an independent investigation found a system to manipulate the outcome of boxing matches by officials was in place at the 2016 Olympics.

Weightlifting must address the historic issue of doping within the sport, while modern pentathlon must finalise its replacement of show jumping, while increasing its appeal to young people.

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Boxing and weightlifting are Thailand’s most successful sports at the Olympics. The country has won 35 medals  15 in boxing (four gold, four silver and seven bronze) and 14 in weightlifting (five, two and seven). The other six medals were won by taekwondo athletes.

The Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association was suspended from taking part in last year’s Tokyo Olympics after a number of its athletes tested positive for banned substances.