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IWF Executive Board selects Chongqing as host of the 2022 IWF World Championships

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Executive Board (EB) today selected Chongqing, China as the host of the 2022 IWF World Championships.

The decision was taken during a two-day meeting which saw constructive discussions and updates from the IWF Committees and Commissions. President of the Chinese Weightlifting Association Jinqiang Zhou presented the city’s bid to the EB which will see China host the World Championships for the first time since 1995.

 

During the meeting, the Development and Education Commission provided an update on the distribution of this year’s funding through the 2019 IWF Development Programme, which supports the growth of weightlifting around the world. The principles of the 2020 IWF Development Programme were also approved. Reports were given by the Membership Commission, Technical Committee, Medical Committee and Coaching and Research Committee. An update on the IWF Strategic Plan was delivered and the EB approved the principles and timeline to implement a good governance review of its Continental Federations. The IWF will then create good governance guidelines for its Member Federations. The EB also approved a technical rule change that creates the pathway for refugee athletes to compete in IWF events in the future.

The EB received a report from the Anti-Doping Commission and an update from International Testing Agency’s (ITA’s) Ben Cohen, as the federation continues its commitment to protecting clean lifters and ensuring a level playing field. An update was also provided on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualification – a qualification system that has drawn praise from IOC President Thomas Bach and has significantly increased the number of qualification events from seven for Rio 2016, to a minimum of 62 for Tokyo 2020. The International Technical Officials for Tokyo 202, the 2020 IWF budget and minutes from the previous Board meeting were all unanimously approved.

IWF President Tamas Ajan said:

“We are delighted to announce Chongqing as the host of the 2022 IWF World Championships. We are sure that they will host a world-class event that will showcase the new era for weightlifting in China.

“We have had a constructive Executive Board meeting here in Pattaya. It is important that all our members are able to contribute their ideas and feedback and that we engage in collaborative discussions on how best to lead our sport forward. We are at a very important time for the IWF and it is critical that we build on the strong foundation we have established for our athletes over the last few years. We will see how strong the health of weightlifting is this week during the World Championships which have attracted athletes from more nations than ever before.”

The meeting took place ahead of the 2019 IWF World Championships, for which athletes from a record 100 nations are registered. The IWF Congress will meet in Pattaya on 17 September on the eve of the World Championships.