Road to LA 2028: Indian boxers to get four chances to qualify for Olympics

PATIALA: Indian boxers will have four opportunities to secure qualification for Olympics 2028, but the road to Los Angeles is expected to be highly competitive given the rising standards in global boxing.

The country’s elite obxers are set for a busy international calendar later this year, beginning with the CWG and Asian Games. Boxers who secure the top two national rankings after the selection trials here will also represent the nation at the 56th Grand Prix Usti nad Labem tournament in the Czech Republic and the World Boxing Cup in China next month.

However, the crucial phase for Olympic qualification will begin in 2027 and continue into 2028. Indian boxers will get four qualification events to book their berths for LA 2028 — the World Championships 2027 in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Asian Qualifier 2027, the 1st World Qualifier 2028 and the 2nd World Qualifier 2028.

The Asyana Astana Worlds will offer 44 quota places across 14 medal events. Four quota spots each will be available in eight categories, while two quota spots each will be awarded in the remaining six categories.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved a World Boxing-managed qualification system for the Games, featuring 248 quota places across 14 weight classes with complete gender parity. For the first time in Olympic boxing, men and women will have an equal number of weight categories — seven each — with 124 male and 124 female boxers competing.

The Games will also mark the first Olympic boxing programme conducted under the sport’s new global governing body, World Boxing.

Weight categories: Men’s: 55kg (18 quotas), 60kg (18 quotas), 65kg (20 quotas), 70kg (20 quotas), 80kg (16 quotas), 90kg (16 quotas), 90+ kg (16 quotas); Women’s: 51kg (18 quotas), 54kg (18 quotas), 57kg (20 quotas), 60kg (18 quotas), 65kg (18 quotas), 70kg (16 quotas), 75kg (16 quotas).