Boxing and weightlifting, two sports that yielded medals for Filipino athletes in the Tokyo Games, are in danger of getting scrapped from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as warned by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
The Philippine delegation made history in the 2020 Tokyo Games following the golden win of weightlifter of Hidilyn Diaz, the country's first Olympic gold medalist, and also the silver medals of boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, and a bronze from Eumir Felix Marcial.
But multiple reports on Friday, Dec. 10 stated that the said sports, along with modern pentathlon, were at risk of exclusion in the LA Games following several problems faced by the respective international governing bodies over the past years.
Bach aired his concerns and reminded the necessary steps that the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and the International Boxing Association (AIBA) must execute in order for the sports to be lined up in the next installments of the Olympics.
"AIBA must demonstrate that it has successfully addressed the ongoing concerns around its governance, financial transparency and sustainability and the integrity of its refereeing and judging processes," said Bach as quoted by The Guardian.
"The IWF and its future leadership must demonstrate its transition towards compliance and effective change of culture. Furthermore, they must successfully address the historical incidence of doping in the sport and ensure the integrity, robustness, and full independence of its anti-doping program.
"Third, and this is very much different from weightlifting and boxing, the UIPM (Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne) must finalize its proposal for the replacement of horse riding and for the overall competition performance."
While the issues concerning boxing and weightlifting are given, it would be recalled that during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, German coach Kim Raisner hit a horse during the modern pentathlon event which received backlash from several athletes.
Meanwhile, skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing made the grade for approval in the final sports roster as the IOC plans to hold a meeting in Beijing, China in February next year.
Bach said the inclusion of the three sports were based on the contribution it made during the Tokyo Games as well as its recognition to the "deep roots" and connection with Los Angeles and California.
Football was also retained in the program but the IOC will be monitoring its international calendar as the FIFA plans to hold World Cups every two days which can cause a clash in the schedule.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino told the Manila Bulletin that he was not aware of the developments at the moment. Tolentino added that he has yet to receive any official announcement or news regarding the matter.