Archive from 2024

IWF President New Year’s Message

We come to the end of a very successful year for the weightlifting family. 2024 provided many outstanding opportunities to show the vitality of our beloved Sport, the devotion of our athletes, and the prestige of our competitions around the world. The corollary of these memorable 12 months was the great celebration of weightlifting at the Paris Olympic Games, a privileged occasion to showcase the value of our Sport in the Olympic programme. After a qualification period where our lifters fought for the 120 available places for the Games, the event in the French capital was spectacular: breathtaking performances, new countries getting medals, a packed venue with thousands of enthusiast spectators cheering for their idols, a great exposure through TV and digital platforms worldwide, and a 100% fair and clean competition, with no positive cases before and during the Games. In general, the Games were a remarkable success and weightlifting was part of this achievement. We are proud of this outcome and I obviously take this opportunity to warmly thank our National Federations, and respective athletes, coaches, and officials. The IWF events were also of paramount importance for the prestige of our Sport. From the Youth World Championships, where for the first time a double platform was used, to the significant success of the Junior showcase and the amazing experience provided by the IWF World Championships some weeks ago in Manama, the vibrant capital of Bahrain, everything was put in place to ensure optimal conditions for all participants and to guarantee the maximum possible promotion of these events in the five continents. With a renovated energy and motivation, we can now envisage a great 2025! Despite being a post-Olympic year, we will not rest on our laurels. We will continue setting up great competitions for our athletes, we will proceed with our merciless fight for a clean sport (in co-operation with the International Testing Agency), we will reinforce our Development Programme for the benefit of our continental and national federations, we will remain fully determined in guaranteeing good governance, inclusivity, and sustainability in everything we do, we will strengthen our commercial opportunities and we will increase our institutional partnerships with the major stakeholders in the international sports environment. 2025 is also an electoral year for the IWF. Our National Federations, in a democratic and transparent way, will decide on a new Executive Board for the next four years. I am sure their verdict will reinforce the path of success our International Federation is pursuing in recent years. These achievements and the perspective of future successes can only be achieved in a spirit of unity and solidarity. Despite national and even personal differences, I am happy and proud to say that the weightlifting family is a very united one. We walk together with one common and consensual vision: to make weightlifting a more credible, important, and respected sport on a global scale! We are on the right track but must continue working hard. The competition is fierce, and the political, social, and economic challenges around us are enormous. But we are strong and resilient people, who know to overcome adversity. Let’s keep this same spirit in 2025 and write one more brilliant page in the rich and prestigious history of the IWF. I thank you for your continuous support and hard work and I wish you a healthy, successful, peaceful, and prosperous New Year of 2025! Mohammed JaloodIWF

Asian Youth and Junior Champs: Iran, India and Vietnam look to future as world’s strongest weightlifting continent ends year on a high

Iran, Vietnam and India were among the nations that prospered at the Asian Youth and Junior Championships in Qatar, collectively winning more than 120 medals. The Championships, which ended on December 26, featured seven age-group world records and brought to a close a memorable year for the world’s strongest weightlifting continent. When Shahzadbek Matyakubov from Turkmenistan claimed two more junior world records with his final lift at 102kg he took the tally of youth, junior and senior world records set by Asian weightlifters in 2024 to 65. Of those records, 37 were by women and 28 by men. The rest of the world mustered 21 between them for both genders. Shahzadbek Matyakubov (TKM) At the IWF World Championships in Bahrain in early December, PRK and China led the way as Asian athletes took more than 80 per cent of the medals. China unearthed an array of new talent, sending a largely junior team which came home with plenty of medals and senior world records. The average age of PRK’s 17 medal winners in Bahrain was under 23. PRK and China – with help from a strong Kazakhstan team - sent a clear message in Bahrain that the next generation of Asian talent is on the way. In the absence of PRK and China, neither of which sent a team, that message was underlined in Qatar by athletes from Iran, India, Vietnam, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Iraq, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The best session of the Championships was that men’s 102kg, in which gold and silver medallists both broke junior world records and finished first and second in the individual rankings. Matyakubov held off a strong challenge by Alireza Nasiri from Iran. In September, 20-year-old Matyakubov won the junior world title in Spain with a 391kg total. He bombed out in clean and jerk in Bahrain when well placed to win a medal, then returned to form two weeks later with a six-from-six 177-219-396. Alireza Nasiri (IRI) Nasiri made five of his attempts, taking Matyakubov’s junior world records in clean and jerk and total when he finished 171-218-389. Those records lasted about a minute before Matyakubov took them back again. Nasiri, 19, was sixth in Bahrain despite making only two good lifts. Iran’s other top performers included Ilya Salehipour and World Juniors silver medallist Alireza Abbaspoor, who finished second and third behind Alexey Churkin from Kazakhstan at 89kg. Churkin, who weighed only 81.88kg, made 163-197-360, while Salehipour totalled 356kg and Abbaspoor 355kg. Abolfazi Zare, 18, won at 102kg on 366kg, and Iran also won at 109kg when Arlya Paydar totalled 380kg. Haniyeh Sharifi, 17, won the youth women’s 71kg on 88-112-200. Iran won eight women’s medals in the Youths Championships. Having won 10 medals at the senior World Championships in Bahrain, where super-heavyweight Alireza Yousefi was one of the star performers, Iran earned top place in the men’s and combined team classification for juniors in Qatar. “Our investment has been fruitful,” the Iran Federation president Sajjad Anoushiravani told local media. “We sent young weightlifters to Bahrain and I am satisfied with what they did. “Our athletes shone in Qatar and so many female weightlifters won medals. The Asian Youth and Junior competition is a crucial step in their journey toward future Olympic dreams. I see a bright future ahead for weightlifting in Iran.”   Vietnam’s Department of Sport and Physical Exercise announced this month that weightlifting would benefit from special funding for development and coaching. The team’s efforts in Qatar showed why the authorities are keen to support the sport on the pathway to Los Angeles 2028. K Duong (VIE) Vietnam dominated the lighter men’s categories, winning at 55kg, 61kg and 67kg. K Duong claimed a sweep of youth world records in stretching his unbeaten run to six since he first appeared in international competition in 2022. The 17-year-old made 116-146-262, up 9kg on his previous best, to finish ahead of team-mate Do Tu Tung. Another 17-year-old, A Tieu, won youth and junior titles at 61kg on 122-149-271, while the 67kg junior title went to Tran Minh Tri on 141-171-312. With two gold medals for its women, Vietnam finished top of the overall medals table. Other leading men’s performers included Ali Ammar Yusur from Iraq, who became the first junior super-heavyweight to total 450kg-plus in Bahrain. This time Ali Ammar needed only his openers on 180-226 to secure victory, declining his other four attempts. Chen Guan-Ling from Chinese Taipei was rated top individual women’s junior performer by more than 200 Robi points. Chen has set four junior world records at 55kg since September, and it would have been more if she had not failed with her final snatch attempt at 99kg. Chen Guan-Ling (TPE) The junior world champion, who was second in Bahrain, finished 94-120-214, a better total than the 59kg and 64kg winners. Thailand had three of the top 10 women in the individual rankings – the 45kg winner Khemika Kamnoesdsri on 74-90-164, 59kg champion Thanaporn Saetia on 96-115-211, and Natcha Kaewnoi, who was 22kg behind Chen in third place at 55kg. Akzhol Kurmanbek from Kazakhstan set youth world records in clean and jerk and total at 73kg, making 142-174-316. Another youth champion in top form was Bekzod Gofirjonov from Uzbekistan, whose 194kg clean and jerk was a youth world record at 89kg. He totalled 348kg. Jyoshna Sabar from India was ranked top individual female youth after matching the world standard total at 40kg. Sabar, 16, made 60-75-135. India won 33 medals across the age groups. Of 24 lifters in the team, 22 were Khelo Indian Athletes – youngsters selected for a government-backed sport scheme. They are funded and train at accredited academies. Asian athletes will have chances to set even more world records before the new weight categories begin from June. The IWF Youth and Junior World Championships are held concurrently in Lima, Peru from April 30-May 5, and the senior Asian Championships are in Jiangshan, China from May 9-15. By Brian

Season’s Greetings!

Please be informed that the IWF office will be closed from December 23, 2024 to January 3, 2025. For urgent matters, please don’t hesitate to email your direct contact within the IWF staff. Wishing you all very happy festivities and a successful and prosperous New Year of 2025!

New bodyweight categories from June 1, 2025

After the approval by the IWF Executive Board, a new set of bodyweight categories will be in place from June 1, 2025 for the IWF competitions. For the Senior and Junior age groups, the eight categories for men and women are as follows: MEN: 60kg, 65kg, 71kg, 79kg, 88kg, 98kg, 110kg, +110kgWOMEN: 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, +86kg For the Youth age group, the categories are: MEN: 56kg, 60kg, 65kg, 71kg, 79kg, 88kg, 98kg, +98kgWOMEN: 44kg, 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, +77kg In accordance with the IWF Rules, three age groups (calculated from the athlete’s year of birth) are recognised: YOUTH: 13 - 17 years of ageJUNIOR: 15 - 20 years of ageSENIOR: 15+ years of

Cyrille Tchatchet elected to the WADA Athlete Council

Cyrille Tchatchet, an active weightlifter representing Great Britain, was elected to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athlete Council (for the period 2025-2027), after an electoral process taking place between December 10-12. The scrutiny was held via an online voting platform and was available only to IFs Athlete Commissions that were registered and deemed eligible to vote. A total of 55 out of 60 IF ACs voted (91.7%).  Cyrille Tchatchet, new member of the WADA Athlete Council The WADA Athlete Council has a total of 20 members, with eight of them coming directly from the International Federations group. Tchatchet was elected among 26 candidates to this group and is one of the four new members of the Council in this category (the remaining four were re-elected). Cyrille Tchatchet, 29, and also member of the IWF Athletes Commission, started his international career representing his native Cameroon. He then sought refugee status in Great Britain, which he eventually got. In this capacity, he was one of the athletes selected for the Tokyo 2020ne Olympic Refugee Team, competing in the weightlifting competition in the Japanese capital. Presently, already with a British passport, he represents his new country in IWF and other major events. His full story can be read here “I am sincerely thrilled with my election to the WADA Athlete Council and I would like to warmly thank all my fellow colleagues from so many International Federations that supported me in this so significant endeavour for me. I also express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the IWF Athlete Commission and the weightlifting community in general for the endorsement of this candidature,” declared Cyrille Tchatchet after knowing the election’s result.   “I am very proud to represent this beautiful Sport, the one that always provided me so much happiness and unforgettable moments! This is an enormous responsibility for me, and I can ensure that I will do my best to conveniently represent the athletes’ voice in this so crucial topic,” he continued.   “It is our obligation to constantly fight for clean sport and fair competition. WADA is the leading international organisation setting the highest standards to implement that strategy – I am therefore very much committed to offering my experience and expertise to assist in this noble cause,” Tchatchet concluded. The IWF President Mohammed Jalood was also happy with this positive outcome: “Firstly, I would like to congratulate Cyrille for this brilliant election! I am sure that his work and contribution will be extremely valued within the WADA Athlete Council. He is truly a great athlete, an inspiring example of resilience, and is now keen to give back to Sport all his knowledge and expertise”. “For the IWF, his election is also an additional proof of our firm determination to promote and ensure a clean and fair weightlifting environment. Finally, it also underlines the importance we give to the athletes’ voice and representation within our International Federation,” also stated Mr Jalood. IWF Communications Read the official WADA announcement here

Bahrain, Review: PRK leads way on the platform and hosts take plaudits for ‘best ever’ World Championships

There were 29 world records at the IWF World Championships, where athletes from PRK, China, Bulgaria, the United States, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Iraq and elsewhere put on a show that will long be remembered. So did the host nation. Every member of PRK’s team of 17 won at least one medal in Manama. Two of PRK’s world record breakers were especially impressive, Ri Suk at 64kg and Kim Il Gyong, who won the women’s best lifter award, at 59kg. Ri Suk (PRK) China gave its five Olympic champions a break. Its junior newcomers excelled, led by super-heavyweight Li Yan who set a world record on her international debut. PRK and China filled 15 of the top 16 places in the women’s individual rankings, in which the only interloper was the American Olivia Reeves, who ended the year with Olympic and world titles at 71kg. Li Yan (CHN) Karlos Nasar from Bulgaria also did the Olympics-World Championships double, setting yet more 89kg world records at the age of 20. PRK filled the next three places behind Nasar – named best male lifter - in the individual rankings. Karlos Nasar (BUL) Kazakhstan’s men put on a show of strength with victories for Nurgissa Adiletuly and Artyom Antropov, as well as 81kg silver for Alexey Churkin, the top-ranked junior after Nasar. In the super-heavyweights Varazdat Lalayan claimed gold for Armenia while Ali Ammar Yusur from Iraq became the first junior to total more than 450kg. Alexey Churkin (KAZ) These superlative efforts were matched off the platform by the hosts, who got everything right. “It has been like a festival – nobody wanted it to end,” said Eshaq Ebrahim Eshaq, president of the Bahrain Weightlifting Federation and head of an organising committee that worked for 18 months on the biggest hosting project in Bahrain’s Olympic sport history. “The competition venue, presentation, spectator engagement, training hall, hotels, transport, food, fanzone… everything worked really well. We have not had a single complaint about anything.” The IWF President Mohammed Jalood stated at the closing ceremony, “Bahrain has raised the World Championships bar to a new level.”   Mohammed Jalood (IWF President) Sam Coffa, chair of the IWF Technical Committee who has been involved in weightlifting across seven decades, rated Bahrain 2024 as “the best World Championships I have ever witnessed or worked in”. His view was echoed by federation officials from China, Great Britain and Germany plus countless athletes and coaches. “How does anybody follow this?” asked one coach. Eshaq said Bahrain had set a couple of world records itself, for the biggest billboards in weightlifting, and the biggest tent. Those billboards, featuring Gor Minasyan, Olivia Reeves, Sara Samir and others, adorned buildings all over Manama. “You’d have to be living under a rock not to know about this event,” he said. The 1,000 seat arena, plus training hall, merchandise area and fan zone, were all inside a giant tent standing nearly 16 metres tall. “It was on a sand plot with no electricity, no wifi, no bathrooms when we started. We built it over 45 days,” said Eshaq. Eshaq Ebrahim Eshaq (President of the BRN Weightlifting Federation) “It was a risk, and it paid off. Our long-term planning worked, strategic sponsorship partnerships for food, vehicles, accommodation, promotion. Our volunteers were available 24 hours a day at all the competition hotels. It’s so much better when you can plan ahead. “We tried to treat everyone like a VIP. This is the biggest Olympic sports event ever staged in Manama, and we did it in one the most global sports. We did it with a smile. It has been a source of national pride.” By Brian Oliver Photos by