Boxing among 3 Olympic sports in danger of losing spot on 2028 Games

Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon were set a target of about 18 months to make changes in order to keep their status as Olympic sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The governing bodies of boxing and weightlifting were described as problem children by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, who has long voiced concerns with the leadership of those sports and issues with corruption and doping.

Modern pentathlon has effectively been told by the IOC to remove equestrian jumping from the event, provoking a backlash from angry athletes.

The high-profile incident of a coach striking a horse at the Tokyo Olympics has undermined modern pentathlon's reputation despite more than 100 years in the Games since being created by IOC founder Pierre de Coubertin.

All three sports have been left off the initial list of 28 on the 2028 program, which will be put to IOC members for approval in February.

The list of approved sports includes skateboarding, surfing and sports .