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Switzerland is presently the most important country in the world concerning sports international administration: from 1915 hosting the International Olympic Committee, since then many International Sports Federations – including the IWF – are also headquartered in the Alpine nation. The history of the country at the Olympics has been quite successful, with special emphasis going to the Winter Games. In weightlifting, Switzerland has won four medals so far, the last ones dating back more than 100 years ago. It all started in Antwerp 1920, with Eugene Ryther winning bronze in the 60kg category. His teammate Fritz Hunenberger (photo) would become the most successful athlete in the Olympic history of the country, by earning silver in Belgium (in the 82.5kg category), and then by finishing also second at the Paris 1924 Olympics (behind the star of that time, France’s Charles Rigoulot). He is the only Swiss lifter with two podium presences in the Games. Native from the Basel region (on the border with Germany and France), he competed for a German club in the early years of the 1920s. The Swiss harvest in the Olympics was completed by Arthur Reinmann, bronze medallist also in the French capital, 101 years ago. He also took part at the 1928 rendezvous in Amsterdam, but finished fifth. In recent years, Switzerland had in Scheila Meister its most prominent lifter: born in 1987, she had a late entry into the sport, but managed a fourth place at the 2023 European Championships. At 37, at the last IWF World Championships in December 2024, she was still present, finishing 18th in the 59kg category.

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