Archive from 2014

Monique Maurice Hall inaugurated

Monique Maurice (1956-2006) was in international Technical Official, the spouse of Jean-Paul Bulgaridhes, former President of the French Weightlifting Federation and IWF Executive Board Member. Her charisma, her dynamism left no-one indifferent. An active weightlifter herself, Monique Maurice became Masters World Champion in 1996 and 2000 and won the 1998 World Masters Games. With her Club of Villeneuve-Loubet (near Nice, South of France), she co-organised the under 16 European Championships in 2002 and the World University Championships in 2005. The Villeneuve-Loubet Club today boasts 1,100 members of which 80 are weightlifting competitors and it has been the Number 1 Club in France for years. The township of Villeneuve-Loubet decided to dedicate a brand new sports complex to the memory of Monique Maurice who died in a cycling accident on 29 August 2006. In the presence of Lionnel Luca, Mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet and Jean-Paul Bulgaridhes, Deputy Mayor, the "Monique Maurice Hall" was officially inaugurated and they unveiled the plaque and a symbolic barbell sculpture to commemorate this extraordinary weightlifting enthusiast. (Source: J.P.

Australian weightlifter Kirsten Wu passed away

It is with great sorrow that I inform you that 21 year old Kirsten Wu from Brisbane Australia, 2010 Oceania Youth Champion, Australian representative at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune and quite a few times Australian national youth and junior champion, has tragically passed away. Kirsten started lifting at the age of 14 and was a valued member of the Cougars Club in Brisbane, coached by Angela Wydall. A very talented athlete who had a great future, highly intelligent and a wonderful personality. A real loss to our weightlifting family in the Oceania and Commonwealth region. On behalf of the International Weightlifting Federation, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Wu family, the Oceania and Commonwealth Weightlifting Federations, the Australian Weightlifting Federation and to the weightlifters of Queensland and in particular to the Cougars Club. Kirsten will always be remembered for the wonderful person that she was. Source: Paul Coffa, General Secretary

IWF signs data partnership with Infostrada Sports

The International Weightlifting Federation today announced it has signed a data partnership with leading full service sports data and media company Infostrada Sports. Infostrada Sports will become the official data partner of the IWF for a three year period until the end of 2017. The IWF and Infostrada Sports will exchange sports data and content. Infostrada Sports will receive the IWF official results and will supply full athlete biographies, amongst other products and services to the IWF. Infostrada Sports will also deliver a selection of its renowned “Facts & Figures” to the IWF Media & Communications team around the 2014 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Infostrada Sports will deliver a media guide, as well as general statistical previews about the favourites, about the specific tournament and about historical results. Infostrada Sports manages the world’s largest sports database, covering close to 300 sports worldwide. Over the past 15 years a data platform has been developed in order to centralise in one place and in a single format, the storage of sports results and biographical data of athletes, which can be exchanged through a universal protocol, thus providing turn-key solutions to its clients in professional sports such as the IWF. “Infostrada Sports is delighted to enter into this ground breaking arrangement with one of the oldest and most respected international federations, to exchange data and ensure the best quality for media and sports fans,” said Danny Menken, CEO Infostrada Sports. “We have a proven track record of delivering quality operations and first class content. With our unique services we take a huge issue off the shoulders of the IWF media office in providing media and the weightlifting community with the best possible content. At the same time we are proud that we will collaborate with the IWF to ensure their official results data forms the quality base of our data analysis.” “Recently the IWF has significantly enhanced the sport presentation and the services to its media and public clients including its Social Media, appearance, branding etc. In addition to its traditionally available athlete database and result service on its website the IWF with this partnership is now able to satisfy the demand from its stakeholders with personalized content” said Dr. Tamas Ajan, IWF

Almaty2014 OC Communication regarding visa issuance

The Organising Committee of the Almaty 2014 IWF World Championships has asked the IWF to forward the following official communication to those concerned: "Dear Colleagues, Due to instructions provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Weightlifting Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan must regretfully inform you that starting from 23.10.2014 there will not be accepted any more requests for provision of visa support number for citizens of those countries which have embassy/consulate/diplomatic mission of the Republic of Kazakshtan. Taking into consideration the time period provided for submission of requests for provision of visa support number and the period of time left before commencement of the official events of the 2014 IWF World Championships in Almaty, we must comply with the instructions provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. However, requests for provision of visa support number for citizens of countries which do not have embassy/consulate/diplomatic mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan will continue to be accepted until 24.10.2014. People countries of citizenship of which do not have embassy/consulate/diplomatic mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan are eligible to obtain visas upon arrival to Almaty or Astana. However, we must strictly follow the instructions and must inform you that any passport copy and request for provision of obtainment of visa upon arrival to Almaty or Astana received after 24.10.2014 will not be accepted without any exceptions. It is extremely important that these people are aware of the fact that without prior provision of their passport copies and prior obtainment of visa support number, the entry to Kazakhstan for them is not possible at any circumstances. Best regards, Weightlifting Federation of the Republic of

National bank holiday

Please note that due to national bank holidays, the IWF office will be closed on 23-24 October 2014. For any urgent matter please contact us by

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games venue finalized

Dr. Tamas Ajan President and Attila Adamfi Director General visited the host city of the 2020 Olympic Games. Meetings and discussions focused on the weightlifting venue and as a conclusion the Tokyo International Forum has been identified as the venue for the Olympic competitions, located in the very heart of the city. Necessary venue reconstructions have been coordinated with TOCOG and confirmed by Mr. Yoichi Masauzoe, Govenor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Plans of the future Olympic Village has been also presented. Beside the meetings with TOCOG, IWF representatives participated at the 50th Anniversary Reception of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games where among others they met the famous weightlifter Yoshinobu Miyake who won the first Gold Medal for Japan at the 1964 Olympic