LA loves boxing and the entertainment capital of the world is full of eager, passionate and knowledgeable fans hoping to enjoy Olympic fights once the Games hit Hollywood in four years; but despite his official stance and wishful thinking, Thomas Bach isn’t ready to make that full commitment just yet.

In another cold shoulder to the current landscape, in which the International Olympic Committee keeps feuding with the International Boxing Association that it banned from the Games back in June 2023, its president said it would decide on the future of boxing no later than the first half of next year. "I think the answer is at some point in the next year, as soon as possible but I don't think we can expect a final decision before next year," Bach said. "I hope we'll have an answer in the first half of next year."

While he IBA struggles to maintain control among some of its affiliated federations because of the IOC’s threat that their athletes might not be able to compete in the next Summer Olympics, the Bach-led organisation keeps the pressure on, even as the Paris Games wind down toward the closing ceremony on Sunday. “The IOC will not organise boxing without a reliable partner. If they want their athletes to win Olympic medals, they have to organise themselves as a federation,” Bach warned once more.

It has been all but smooth sailing for the sport at the Paris Games as boxing has come under intense scrutiny because of the eligibility controversy surrounding two women fighters who are competing for the gold medal after they had been disqualified by the IBA from the last world championships in Delhi yet deemed eligible to compete in Paris per Olympic standards. Algeria’s Imane Khelif was set to compete in the 66kg final Friday against China's Yang Liu, while Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting will fight Julia Szeremeta in her own 57kg final on Saturday.

“This not a question of inclusion. It never played a role in all this. It’s a question of justice and the right for women’s participation; and we will not really on tests which I have seen a transcript of in this very interesting press conference of this organisation where it was not even clear which tests have been performed or produced,” Bach said, referring to the Monday Paris media session in which IBA officials and president Umar Kremlev argued that both boxers were male.

“It’s not up to science. It is not as easy as some in this cultural war want to portray it: that XX or XY (chromosomes) is the clear distinction between men and women. This not scientifically true anymore… these two boxers are women and they have the right to participate in the woman’s competition. It has nothing to do with inclusion in any way,” Bach stressed.

The IBA, which was stripped from Olympic recognition by the IOC last year citing governance, finances and corruption concerns, maintains that blood testing is the best way to determine gender eligibility for its competitions, while the Bach-led organisation stands by passport-only definitions, as stated by each national federation.

“We did away with sex testing in 1999, as science has told us that these tests are not reliable anymore. It does not work how it used to, regarding chromosomes and measurements, and we were told that they could be against human right because they can be intrusive,” Bach explained. “This is system is now working and our position is clear: they (Khelif and Lin) are two women and should take part in women’s competitions.”

Reviewing the gender issue has been at the forefront of the debate since the case exploded after Italian boxer Angela Carini decided to retire from her Paris 2024 fight with Khelif after just two punches and 46 seconds, alleging that they “hurt a lot”. The IOC, however, remains non-committal to updating its protocols unless a pool of independent experts leads the charge.

"We have said from the very beginning, if someone is presenting us a scientifically solid system how to identify men and women, we are the first ones to do it. We do not like this uncertainty. We do not like it for the overall situation so we would be more than pleased to look into it,” Bach stated. "But what is not possible that someone is saying this is not a woman just by looking at somebody or by falling prey to a defamation campaign by a not credible organisation with highly political interest."