Boxing will not be present in the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which represents a hard blow for Cuba, a country with an extensive tradition in that sport and a high yield of medals at the Olympic level.
However, what was recently considered a possibility is now a reality.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made the decision official in a statement addressed to all national committees, confirming that boxing will not be part of the Los Angeles 2028 Games, as had been speculated since the end of the Tokyo 2020 Games.
This exclusion is the outcome of a prolonged dispute between the IOC and the International Amateur Boxing Association, marked by disagreements, misunderstandings, and cases of corruption.
In addition to boxing, other sports such as Breaking Dance and Rugby 7 have also been removed from the Los Angeles program after not reaching the expected levels of popularity at Paris 2024.
Following the announcement, sports journalist Yassel Porto expressed his concern about the future of Cuban sports.
"Without Mijaín López on the delegation and with the absence of a sport that, although it only brought one gold in Paris, has always been a high producer, the situation for Cuba becomes much more complicated in terms of obtaining titles. Between the economic crisis, the lack of development, the advance of other nations, and the growing exodus of athletes, the outlook appears quite bleak," he wrote on Facebook.
The journalist wished that hopefully "the situation is not so chaotic" for Cuban sports after the announcement, and clarified that he always wants to "see Cuban athletes succeeding, regardless of political propaganda."
"But we have to be realistic: if in Paris we drift away from Tokyo, in Los Angeles the scenario looks even more discouraging," he concluded.
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