National Turkey Tournament in Mexico
The National Turkey Tournament began in 1968 after the euphoria experienced at the Olympic Games that were held in Mexico in 1968. It was an event convened by the rector of the University of San Luis Potosí (UASLP), Lic. Guillermo Medina de los Santos and the Head of the Department of Sports, Arsenio Lobo Ramírez.
Not having competition material, the UASLP bought York brand equipment for the event and 6 athletes from the state of San Luis Potosí participated, one of the participants was Dr. Rosalio Antonio Alvarado del Ángel, current president of the Mexican Federation of Weightlifting.
The organization was financed by parents, athletes and the UASLP, the first place in each category was awarded with a turkey since the event took place on Christmas Eve.
The first 5 editions were held locally in a single day of competition with athletes from San Luis Potosí, in 1974 the Association of Aguascalientes was invited and in the following editions the states of Jalisco, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Mexico City.
In 1980, due to the support provided by the Mexican Weightlifting Federation (FMLP) chaired that year by Manuel Mateos de la Rosa (youth world champion) and Dr. Rosalio Antonio Alvarado del Ángel, more clubs joined this event.
In 2018, a commemorative event was held for the 50th anniversary of the NATIONAL TURKEY TOURNAMENT, having a record participation of 1400 athletes, from children, youth, senior and master categories, taking place on 5 simultaneous competition platforms with more than 80 judges.
From 1968 to the present date, 54 editions of the National Turkey Tournament have been held uninterruptedly, in 2019 it was held virtually for reasons of the pandemic and it resumed in 2020 in a traditional way.
It is an event with a great tradition that has been dedicated to promoting weightlifting to athletes of all ages. The level and quality of competition increases in each edition.
The 54th edition of the event was held on 24-27 November 2022, in San Luis Potosi. Altogether 1000 Athletes competed representing 30 Weightlifting Clubs and the competitition was held in a multiple platform (4) format.