IWF120y/67 – 1948: Lifters from the five continents are represented at the Olympics
The presence of weightlifting at the Games reflects the evolution of the sport in the five continents, the status of our International Federation in the Olympic Movement, and is even determined by the location of the biggest sports event on the planet. It all started modestly, in the first edition of Games, in Athens 1896: seven lifters from five nations. In 1904, in St. Louis (USA), weightlifting had its poorest Olympic presence: only five athletes from two countries (the host nation, plus Greece). Things became more interesting from the 1924 edition onwards: in Paris, our Sport is represented for the first time with more than 100 athletes – 107 (only men at the time). The number of nations remains on the other hand low, with no more than 16 countries. The end of World War II meant a turning point for weightlifting, as the London 1948 Games (photo from a weightlifting podium ceremony), attended by 120 lifters, will have representation from the five continents, a first – Australia and New Zealand began their weightlifting Olympic road in the British capital. Oceania was finally present at the Games! Until 1996, the last edition only attended by men, the participation steadily improved (the exception being Melbourne 1956, much due to the geographical location of the event), with the highest number being Barcelona 1992, with 245 male lifters, from 69 countries. From Sydney 2000, women are also part of the competition, and including the last edition of the Games, in 2024 in Paris, the most significant overall presence in the Olympics, was in Rio 2016, with 260 lifters – 156 men and 104 women.
