IWF120y/106 – 1978: Cairo (EGY) is the founding city of the Weightlifting Federation of Africa
After the Americas (in 1951), Asia (1958), and Europe (1969), the Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA) was established in 1978, thus becoming the fourth IWF continental body (Oceania would follow in 1980). Without surprise, the WFA is founded in Cairo, the Egyptian capital. The Land of the Pharaohs always played a key role in the continent: it was the first African federation affiliated to the IWF (in as early as 1920), followed only 28 years later by South Africa (1948), and then Morocco (1958). Moreover, at the Olympic and world level, Egyptian lifters had already excelled by winning several medals: still today, it is the most successful African nation in our sport. Presently, the continental body has 38 national federations, with the last inclusion being Equatorial Guinea at the May 2025 IWF Ordinary Congress. The WFA is directly responsible for the organisation of Youth, Junior, and Senior Championships at the continental level, on an annual basis. The last WFA showcase took place in Mauritius, at the end of April 2025, a competition where Nigeria and Egypt achieved the most remarkable performances. At the Olympic level, three African countries have obtained medals so far in weightlifting: Egypt (15), Nigeria (2) and Cameroon (1). In the long history of the IWF World Championships, the list (only counting Total medals) is a bit longer: Egypt (42), Nigeria (7), Tunisia (2), and Madagascar (1). In accordance with the IWF Constitution, each of the five continental federations’ presidents sits on the IWF Executive Board as IWF Vice-President.
