Happy Birthday Sam Coffa!
On his passport, the official name is Salvatore Coffa, but the entire weightlifting world knows him as Sam Coffa. Today, he celebrates his 90th birthday and the entire IWF community sends him its warmest wishes and regards. Happy Birthday Sam!
And what a life it has been so far! Despite a successful career as an athlete, coach, manager, official and administrator, the first years of his life were however modest, within a Sicilian family experiencing the difficulties and challenges caused by World War II.
Born in Ferla (Sicily, Italy) January 15, 1936, Coffa emigrated with the family to Australia in 1952, in search of better horizons and opportunities. He will quickly integrate the community in Hawthorn (suburbs of Melbourne), by practicing and developing weightlifting in the local club.
As an athlete, he progresses quickly, and after acquiring Australian citizenship in 1959, he takes part in the 1962 Commonwealth Games and 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, representing his new country. In the Japanese capital, his most vivid and emotional memory remains the opening ceremony, where he could, in his own words, “proudly march behind the Australian flag”.
After his retirement as an athlete, he remains a pillar in the development of weightlifting in his town, in the state of Victoria, in Australia (he is presently at the helm of the national body), in the Commonwealth community, continental federation, and at the IWF level. Sam Coffa is the world reference in terms of the weightlifting rules, currently chairing the IWF Technical Committee – he was also a member of the IWF Executive Board for many years, where his highest position was of First Vice-President.
Also involved with politics, he was Mayor of Hawthorn on two occasions, was awarded the membership of the Order of Australia, and was inducted into the Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 2009.
With the occasion of IWF’s 120-year celebration in 2025, we have published an exclusive interview with Sam Coffa, divided in three parts. Follow the links below to learn about the life of a man who devoted more than 70 years of his existence to the development of weightlifting worldwide:
