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The creator of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Courbertin, chose the official Olympic motto: “Citius, Altius, Fortius.” The words are Latin and in English mean, “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” Some sports do not fit the motto.

Two sports have not made the cut for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. At this time, there appear to be no changes to the athletics menu. Athletics is typically the most watched sport during the Summer Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) continues to refine the Games.

Breaking

Breaking will not make the Los Angeles Games.

The dance competition does not quite fit the definition of sport. It is a fully judged event and is more art and or entertainment than sporting competition. The viewing audience was not enamoured with the event’s inclusion. While the IOC will judge an event’s inclusion by viewership, some events should not be included in the Olympic Games.

For example, artistic swimming is not a sport in the truest sense of the phrase. Requiring to pose, wear makeup, move to music with choreography and to be fully judged is not a sport. However, as long as the viewing audience is large enough, artistic swimming is not going anywhere.

Boxing

When Russians have had enough, they may utter, “The poet’s soul did not bear, the shameful hurts of low breed.” This was coined by the great poet and romantic writer Mikhail Lermontov. In Russia, so-called eternal peace, which is merely just a muse for the artists, “exists only until the next war.” The bear is in a war situation, hence there will be no peace. This perhaps is a metaphor for Boxing’s issues.

Boxing is the second event. The decision has not yet been made official on boxing. However, the sport needs to organize itself well in advance of the 2028 Games. The IOC told boxing, the sport will not be included in the 2028 Games unless a new governing body is created.

The current International Boxing Association (IBA) is in chaos. The IOC ran the sport on boxing’s behalf during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The IOC is not prepared to do that again. The once mighty and traditional sport is a shadow of its former self. While the athletes continue to take up the sport, the chaos up top is very real.

Boxing’s issues relate to having a globally recognized governing body, and gender issues that the IBA has no clear policy on.

In June 2023 Reuters reported on the chaos that defined the IBA’s demise. “The International Boxing Association’s (IBA) recognition as the global body for the sport was stripped on Thursday by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to its failure to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues.

The IOC’s extraordinary session held online at the time, rubber-stamped an executive board recommendation by 69 votes to one to withdraw the IBA’s recognition.”

President Umar Kremlev is a meathead

Umar Kremlev is a Russian sports office-bearer who has served as the president of the IBA since 2020. He was secretary general and member of the executive committee of the Boxing Federation of Russia since February 2017. In 2022, IBA members voted against holding an election, 106-36, allowing Kremlev to remain as IBA president.

Kremlev is a self promotor, which does nothing for the organization. Once given the throne, he moved the IBA’s head office to Russia and then suspended Ukraine from the IBA. Kremlev signed an exclusive sponsorship agreement with the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. IBA’s relationship with the IOC collapsed during Kremlev’s tenure.

IOC President Thomas Bach stated that the IBA had failed to address governance, finance and corruption concerns. Kremlev called Bach a “chief sodomite.” He also stirred controversy by claiming that a female boxer failed her gender test only after she beat a Russian boxer.

Russian chaos in sport governance is well documented. Few sports in the country operate with clear direction, without corruption and in an organized way.

Sebastian Coe may run for IOC

Current president Thomas Bach will step down from his position as president of the IOC. While Bach has done a good job, he has waffled on his relationship with Russia and its leaders. Bach advocated for Russia’s inclusion in the Olympics. He has also turned on his heel and moved to not include the country. Bach waved off the Russian attack on Ukraine as just one of many armed conflicts going on around the world. This sort of indecision and apathy does not spark confidence in the people who vote for the position.

Whereas President Sebastian Coe said, “no” to Russia due to the conflict. He was also in charge when World Athletics banned Russia over systematic doping.

World Athletics, under the reign of Coe, has had its best days in its history. The brand change under his watch was welcome. The former name was the International Association of Athletics Federations, which was a mouthful. The logos of World Athletics and its events improved and now have a symmetry across brands.

Coe has also made an effort to improve the World Cross Country Championships. He did this by advocating for a more festival-like event, and more challenging courses. Coe also continues to talk of cross-country’s inclusion in the Olympics.

Of the many improvements to the sport of athletics and World Athletics, Coe has improved on the gender issue. He tackled the most complex concern to face the sport. While, there is no solution that will please everyone, Coe simply put forth the notion, “How do we protect the female category?” He asked this, rather than drawing from the perspective of removing others or the issue itself. He smartly narrowed it to the very legitimate goal of protecting the category. Although the gender issue has not disappeared, it is a shadow issue of its former self.

With Coe as president of the IOC, he would likely make firm decisions, find equitable changes and not put up with the noisy few who generate the most social media and traditional media buzz.

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