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Universiade Test Event embraces Lifter of the Year Award Ceremony in Taipei

A Test Event has been held for the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei City, which will be the host of the FISU Games, the second largest sporting event of the world after the Olympic Games, this coming August. The competitions took place in the Universiade venue at the Tamkang University. A 2-day IWF Seminar preceded the Test Event to train the ITOs and NTOs of the host country with the involvement of Reiko Chinen, IWF Technical Committee Member and Weightlifting Competition Manager of Tokyo 2020. The Opening Ceremony and the presence of the media provided an excellent opportunity to present the "Jenő Boskovics Lifter of the Year Trophy", which Chinese Taipei's double Olympic Champion Hsu Shu-Ching had won in WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING's voting for 2015. IWF Honorary Vice President Chang Chao-Kuo and the magazine's Senior Editor and FISU Technical Delegate Aniko Nemeth-Mora presented the well-deserved Trophy to the outstanding

16 “Wonder Women” named in the Philippines

This International Women’s Month, several organizations honored some women from the Philippines who excel in showbiz, art, sports, science, business, and other previously male-dominated fields. On March 8, International Women’s Day, multinational agency J. Walter Thompson gathered the following women leaders to empower the next generation of Filipinas: Hidilyn Diaz, Armie Jarin-Bennett, Pia Cayetano and Issa Cabreira. Hidilyn Diaz, weightlifter, long before she ended the country’s 20-year Olympic medal drought by claiming silver in the 53-kg division of the women’s weightlifting event at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Hidilyn Diaz accomplished an even greater feat: she smashed the stereotype of a female in two male-dominated fields. Through the years, the four-foot-nine native of Zamboanga City has won medals from the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and other international weightlifting competitions. An Olympian since 2008, Diaz is also a member of the Philippine Air Force, with the rank of Airwoman First Class. Voted Athlete of the Year in 2016 by the Philippine Sportswriters Association, she now has her eyes on the ultimate prize: a Gold Medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Other nominated “Wonder Women” are: Armie Jarin-Bennett, CNN Philippines president; Pia Cayetano, politician; Issa Cabreira, Globe Telecom senior vice president / head of consumer mobile marketing; Trickie Lopa, art advocate; Tina Sabarre, Johnson Johnson country director for retail; Vicki Belo, Belo Medical Group chief executive officer; Melissa Henson, Manulife Philippines senior vice president and chief marketing officer; Rosario Oreta Lapus, Miriam College president; Stephanie Sy, Silicon Valley data scientist; Valenice Balace, Forbes’ ’30 Under 30 Asia’; Ros Juan, entrepreneur; Monette Iturralde-Hamlin, publicist; Rowie Matti, educator; Chesca Garcia-Kramer, multimedia personality; Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio, multimedia personality. Congratulations to all women leaders who empower the next generation! Source: daily

Thailand’s Sport Awards 2016

The SIAMSPORT Awards 2016 was held in Bangkok, THA on 6 March 2017 and gave recognition to outstanding athletes in Thailand. The ceremony takes place annually - this year for the eleventh time. Thailand’s Sport Awards 2016 is the most popular press event in Thailand rewarding major sport personalities. Best Female Athlete of the Year: Sukanya SRISURAT (Rio 2016 Olympic Champion) Best Coach of the Year: Aree WIRATTHAWORN (Athens 2004 Olympic Champion) Most Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year: Pimsiri SIRIKAEW (London 2012 & Rio 2016 Olympic Champion) Best Sport Association of the Year: Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association (TAWA) Congratulations to the TAWA and all the recipients! Source:

Second IF Women in Leadership Forum concluded in Lausanne

OVER 65 REPRESENTATIVES FROM NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS (IFS), NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES (NOCS) AND EXPERTS WERE PRESENT AT THE SECOND IF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP FORUM IN LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND. ON THE AGENDA: WOMEN LEADING IN SPORT. Following a successful inaugural edition last year, the three-day Forum jointly organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) once again brought together female leaders in sport to discuss gender equality. Combining training and mentoring sessions by two experts as well as panel discussions, this year’s gathering aimed to identify concrete measures to increase development opportunities and the recruitment of women in decision-making positions at all levels of sport, including management, coaching and officiating positions, in line with the IOC Executive Board’s call to the Olympic Movement last December to achieve a minimum target of 30 per cent of women in leadership roles by 2020. In her opening speech, Chair Lydia Nsekera stressed to the participants: “We need to continue these good results and not weaken in our efforts to ensure that even more women are elected to positions of responsibility within IFs, national federations and clubs. This is another of this Forum’s objectives: to give you helpful advice on performing your role, but also to enable you in turn to become mentors for other women working or seeking to work in the world of sport.” IF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP FORUM CHAIR In turn, ASOIF President Ricci Bitti said: “In my view, striving for gender equality within our organisations is interlinked with good governance. It is not about ticking any boxes, but about developing a favourable culture and then implementing certain principles consistently across all organisational policies and activities.” ASOIF PRESIDENT In this period of the electoral cycle, the Forum is a unique opportunity to help prepare a large number of women in middle and senior management positions in NOCs, National Federations and other international organisations to successfully stand for election. IOC Weightlifting was well represented at the 2nd IF Women in Leadership Forum with President Dr. Tamas Ajan, Executive Board Member Moira Lassen and Ursula G. Papandrea USA Weightlifting President. On this occasion the IWF celebrated WOMEN by wishing an empowering International Women's Day. Dr. Ajan Tamas also participated in the Panel discussions together with ITU President Marisol Casado, Trinidad and Tobago NOC President Brian Lewis and FIH Executive Member Hazel

IWF delegation met the Minister of Youth and Sports of Algeria

The IWF delegation attending the Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA) Elections led by Dr. Tamas Ajan, IWF President met Mr. El Hadi Ould Al, Algeria's Minister of Youth and Sports together with Khaled Mhalhel, re-elected WFA President and Abdelaziz Brahimi, President of the Algerian Weightlifting Federation and newly elected WFA Vice President. The parties discussed weightlifting issues focusing on the Algerian and African development of the

The Albanian Delegation met IWF President

Mr. Elez Gjoza President of the Albanian Weightlifting Federation, Mr. Agron Haxhihyseni General Secretary and Mr. Gudar Beqiraj Honorary President paid a visit to Budapest in order to meet Dr. Tamas Ajan IWF President. Albania will host the European Junior Championships in October 2017 and several weightlifting related topics were raised during the