Archive from 2012

5th IOC World Conference on Women and Sport held in Los Angeles, California

Participants in the 5th IOC World Conference on Women and Sport called on sports leaders to take a more proactive role in advancing the cause of women in and through sport as the event came to a close in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday. The IWF was represented by Ms. Celsa Alvarez Suarez (ESP), Member of the IWF Technical Committee, and Ms. Aniko Nemeth-Mora (HUN), IWF Director. Ms. Moira Lassen (CAN), Member of the IWF Technical Committee was also present, representing Canada but also the sport of weightlifting. The three-day conference, whose theme was “Together Stronger: the Future of Sport,” ended with over 800 delegates from 135 countries unanimously approving “The Los Angeles Declaration”, a series of recommendations aimed at promoting gender equality in sport and using sport as a tool to improve the lives of women around the world. The declaration focused on two main themes: - The need to bring more women into management and leadership roles - The need to increase collaboration and partnerships, especially with UN organisations, to promote gender equality. IOC President Jacques Rogge assured the conference delegates that the Olympic Movement would act on the recommendations. “I can pledge and I can promise that we will do what is needed”, he said in his closing remarks. Read the Los Angeles Declaration here The organisers, the IOC, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games, must be commended on having hosted an excellent event. Mr. Dragomir Cioroslan, IWF Vice President, in his role as Director of the USOC, played a significant part in the resounding success of the Conference. The record number of delegates at this year’s conference included well-known figures from the world of sport, as well as representatives of civil society, government and academia. Other high-profile speakers at the conference included IOC Women and Sport Commission Chairperson Anita DeFrantz; Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Sebastian Coe; HE Marjon V. Kamara, Chair of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women; and Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning actress and founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Held every four years, the aim of the World Conference on Women and Sport is to assess the progress made in advancing the cause of gender equality within the Olympic Movement and to define future priority actions to improve and increase the involvement of girls and women in this

The appropriate hairstyle

Moment of the Year by Anton Kislyakov At the European Junior and Under 23 Championships held in Bucharest, Romania from 9 to 18 September 2011 two Russian female athletes wanted to enter the competition in the 53kg bodyweight category: Mariia Lubina and Ksenia Maximova. Ksenia Maximova, from the Republic of Bashkortostan, Master of Sport of Russia, was to represent the Russian Federation in Bucharest, but her bodyweight exceeded 53kg. In spite of her efforts, she couldn’t reach the desired result and a few grams could deprive her of the participation at the Junior Competitions. Ten minutes before the weigh-in Igor Alekseev, Head Coach of the Junior Team made the only correct decision: to cut Ksenia’s long hair and leave a short ponytail instead. Ksenia weighed-in with 53kg sharp. She did her best at the competition and managed to grab the 3rd place of the podium in the 53kg bodyweight category. Just like her compatriot Mariia Lubina, Ksenia also ended the competition with a Total of 181kg. Less than 1kg difference in the bodyweight made Mariia Lubina gain the Silver Medal. This is not a unique story, but a perfect example that shows the strong will and determination of the Russian athletes to win. The Russian Weightlifting Federation is proud of the Junior and Youth weightlifters’ performance at the European Junior and Under 23 Championships – as Russia got the first place in Team Classification. Right after the competitions, the first thing Ksenia Maximova did was to visit the best beauty salon of Bucharest so she could get a new haircut from hair specialists. Anton Kislyakov Russian Weightlifting Federation

Review of the World Anti-Doping Code

Montreal, February 15, 2012 Dear WADA Stakeholder, As you will be aware, the Code Review Process commenced on 28 November, 2011. Correspondence was sent to all stakeholders informing them of the review and drafting process that will continue over the next two years, with three rounds of consultation and culminating in the World Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa in November 2013. Please be reminded that the submission deadline for the 1st Consultation Phase is March 15, 2012. By sharing your practical experiences with the Code via WADAConnect, you can provide WADA with constructive feedback which will enable WADA to make enhancements to the Code that will benefit the fight against doping in sport. All stakeholders are urged to consider their practical experiences in providing suggestions for any amendments. In view of the relatively successful harmonious operation to date, we suggest you look carefully at areas which will benefit from change, additions or omissions, and reflect on the benefits to the global community of athletes arising from any suggested alteration. If you have not already done so, please take the time to create a user account with the consultation platform using the user-friendly guide found here. You may then provide your comments, directly referencing the relevant Code Articles that are of particular interest to you. We look forward to hearing from you soon in this 1st Consultation Phase and working with you to promote doping free sport and enhancing the Code. Yours sincerely, John Fahey AC

Encouragement for victims of the disaster

Moment of the Year by Masashi Inoue Japanese ace Hiromi Miyake is determined to deliver a strong performance at the London Olympics this summer to provide encouragement to those still feeling the effects of one of Japan's worst-ever natural disasters. The March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that triggered a nuclear crisis last year claimed the lives of over 15,000 people and left more than 3,300 missing. The 53kg bodyweight category weightlifter Miyake is thankful that she survived the quake and tsunami that ravaged Japan's northeastern coastline, inflicting particularly heavy damage on the Miyagi Prefecture her famous father hails from. ''I am grateful that I am alive and able to lift barbells,'' said Miyake, whose father Yoshiyuki won the bronze medal in the featherweight class at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Although Yoshiyuki's inland hometown was spared by the tsunami, the quake shook tiles off his house and forced him to cover the roof with makeshift vinyl sheets, while the surrounding roads were left full of bumps and cracks. ''I was so shocked I was lost for words,'' said Hiromi, who witnessed the damage first hand. In May last year, Hiromi and her father visited Shibata Norin High School. The school was being used by students from Miyagi Nogyo High School as their own school building in the coastal area of the prefecture had been damaged by the tsunami. Before visiting the school, Hiromi and Yoshiyuki checked out the size of the feet of over 200 of the Miyagi Nogyo High School students and provided them with sport shoes that fitted, delivering them along with towels and 350 T-shirts. A third-year Miyagi Nogyo High School student, men's 77kg category lifter Ryuta Hikichi, had his home in Natori City swept away by the tsunami and only managed to save himself by clinging onto a plastic greenhouse that he happened to see. In August he competed at the Inter-High School Championships wearing the uniform he had found a week after the disaster, lifting a personal record. Hiromi says she had had numerous training camps at Shibata Norin High School. The 26-year-old finished ninth at 48kg on her Olympic debut in Athens in 2004 and had an even better result in finishing sixth at the Beijing Games four years ago. Looking ahead to this summer's London Games, Hiromi, sixth in the 53kg category at last year's World Championships, said, ''What I have to do at the moment is train. I want to post a good result in London and hopefully that will provide encouragement for victims of the disaster." Masashi Inoue Kyodo

Deadline for the 2012 IWF Development Program

The IWF continues supporting the National and Continental/Regional Federations in 2012 in the framework of the IWF Development Program. We remind you that the deadline to return the completed forms will expire on 20 February 2012. Please send the filled in documents available here to

2011 Best Lifter of the Year, Khadzimurat Akkaev

Emphasizing maximum results While some lifters focus on showmanship or approach the barbell with a degree of hesitation, Khadzimurat Akkaev attacks the bar, brimming with confidence - ready to lift whatever is needed for the victory. It is the mark of an outstanding lifter, being a top competitor. He won the silver (2004) and the bronze medal (2008) in the 94kg category. He has moved up into105kg and the change of bodyweight category paid off. The 26-year-old Russian lifter Khadzimurat Akkaev was the editor’s pick for producing the most impressive performance at the 2011 European Championships and at the 2011 IWF World Championships Paris, France, as he pounded through six good attempts, producing very respectable numbers in the snatch, clean and jerk, and Total (195kg+230kg in Kazan and 198kg+232kg in Paris). Akkaev stands 178 cm and he told me that he plans to stay at 105 kg, where his best lifts in training are 201 kg in the snatch (without straps) and 235 kg in the clean and jerk. Asked about the likely composition of the Russian team in 2012, Akkaev said that it is very possible that two lifters will be entered in the 105kg bodyweight category. Khadzimurat has said that his brother was his biggest influence, explaining, “My brother trained and I wanted to be there with him,” so at the ripe age of 11, Khadzimurat started training, one of a group of 39 kids. One year later, as a 12-year old, he won his first contest, snatching 47kg and clean and jerking 67kg at 45kg bodyweight. His coach through all these years has been Maxim Makkaev, and they follow 10 workouts per week, with each session lasting 1-1/2–2 hours. Akkaev said they take a basic approach, emphasizing maximum snatches and maximum clean and jerks: “If I make 200 today, I will try 201 the next day.” Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. Publisher & Editor-in-chief Milo 19.2