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The IWF President Mohammed Jalood led the visit of an IWF delegation to Oslo (NOR) to meet the organisers of the 2025 IWF World Championships taking place in Forde. The IWF General Secretary Antonio Urso and the IWF Communications and Marketing Manager Pedro Adrega were also in the Norwegian capital, where the group was welcomed by the President of the national weightlifting federation, Stian Grimseth and his team.

During the encounter with the hosts of the 2025 IWF showcase, various aspects related with the organisation of the event were discussed, namely the competition and training venue, the accommodation plan, the anti-doping procedures, the medal ceremonies’ protocols, the TV production of the competition, and the involvement of the local population in the Championships.

Stian Grimseth (second from left, President of the NOR Weightlifting Federation), Antonio Urso (in the middle, IWF General Secretary), Sondre Sande Gullord (third from right, Vice-President of the Norwegian Olympic Committee), Mohammed Jalood (second from right, IWF President)

Being a small city (15’000 inhabitants) in the western part of Norway, the municipality of Forde, together with the hosts of the event, are planning to have the medal ceremonies outside of the competition venue, in a central place of the town, where every night a festival of light and music will be organised for the citizens of Forde. The engagement of the local schools was also highlighted and the hosts’ intention is to daily fill the 2’000 places available at the Championships’ site.

During its visit to Oslo, the IWF delegation had the opportunity to also meet with the Vice-President of the Norwegian Olympic Committee, Mr Sondre Sande Gullord. The IWF President underlined the strong support that our International Federation is bringing to the organisers of the event, and highlighted that the level of professionalism related with the staging of the Championships is remarkable. The national Olympic responsible, in return, confessed that the sport community in his country is looking forward to what will probably be the most attended (in terms of nations) World Championships ever staged in Norway. The competition is expected to attract lifters from 120 countries.

The city of Forde

“We had a very fruitful visit to Oslo and we confirmed the excellent impression we had about the enthusiasm and motivation of Stian and his team. I strongly believe that the 2025 IWF World Championships will be a great success and a milestone in our history. For the first time ever, a Test Event will be held in October this year (12 months before the actual event), and we will have the opportunity to evaluate the outstanding preparation for the competition,” declared Mr Jalood. “Norway is getting a very strong position in international weightlifting, thanks to some athletes at the top of the world ranking. The IWF World Championships in 2025 will reinforce this winning strategy and will provide one important additional inspiration for the youngest lifters of this nation,” concluded the IWF President.

From the organisers’ side, Mr Grimseth was also a happy man at the end of the IWF visit. “We want to test new solutions and implement innovative approaches to weightlifting during the IWF World Championships in 2025. It is very positive to note that the IWF leadership is quite open and receptive to these novelties. Our goal with this competition is to open a new era in our beloved weightlifting, a sport that needs to be closer to its fans. The choice of Forde is ideal for the implementation of that strategy,” said the President of the Norwegian Weightlifting Federation. “We thank the IWF for the trust and support and we promise that the weightlifting family will live an unforgettable experience in 2025!” Mr Grimseth concluded.  

IWF Communications