Fruitful visit from the IWF to China
In representation of the IWF President Mohammed Jalood, the Paris 2024 IWF Technical Delegate and IWF Executive Board member Matthew Curtain recently visited China to primarily inspect and approve the equipment that will be used for the upcoming Olympic Games in the French capital. For that, Mr Curtain had the opportunity to meet with Mr Zhang Zhiguo, General Manager of ZKC, IWF’s licenced manufacturer providing all the necessary weightlifting equipment during the Olympic celebration.
Matthew Curtain (in the middle) during his visit to China
During his stay in China, Mr Curtain could meet with representatives of several sport administration levels, namely with Mr Wang Zhiliang, Mayor of Botou Municipal People’s Government, Mr Liu Chengliang, Vice-President of China’s Weightlifting Association (representing its President Zhou Jinqiang, who is also the country’s Deputy Sports Minister), Mr He Yiqun, General Secretary of CWA, Ms Meng Bo, Vice-President of the Asian Weightlifting Federation, Mr Wei Xinhuan, Director of Gymnastics, Weightlifting and Judo Sports Centre at the Hebei Sports Bureau, and Mr Zhao Guoyuan, Director of Cangzhou Sports Bureau.
The discussions with China’s national weightlifting body assumed special importance, as the country will be the host of the 2026 IWF World Championships, a rendezvous taking place in Ningbo. Besides the organisation of the IWF’s showcase, Mr Curtain and Mr Liu spoke about future opportunities for a reinforced partnership between CWA and the IWF.
“It was a very fruitful visit to China! ZKC is definitively ready to provide the best possible equipment for our lifters in Paris, thus decisively contributing to the success of the Olympic competition. On a more general note, the contacts with so many officials from different levels proves that China remains a powerhouse in the Sport and is looking to increase its valuable co-operation with the IWF. The allocation of the 2026 IWF World Championships to the city of Ningbo is the most recent example of that will,” declared Mr Curtain. “I would like to thank President Jalood for the opportunity and all Chinese authorities for the excellent welcome and the quality of our discussions,” he concluded.
IWF Communications
