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Pakistan will participate with weightlifters at the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games

Pakistan will enter athletes in 14 disciplines out of the 18 at the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games to be held from 12-22 May in Baku, AZE. The capital city of Azerbaijan got the right to organize the Games back in 2013 from the General Assembly of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF). The first event - including 57 member federations – was hosted by Saudi-Arabia in 2005. In 2009 it was scheduled to take place in Iran but was cancelled and organized by Saudi-Arabia in 2013. This year Pakistan’s goal is to return with as many medals as possible. The athletes at the past two events earned 4 medals, including 3 gold and one bronze. That means they are ranked as the 16th Asian nation out of 38 in the medal tally. Source:

Hellenic Weightlifting Federation Elections

The Hellenic Weightlifting Federation Elections were held on January 24th, 2017. A new President and a new General Secretary were elected. President: Mr. Konstantinos Korlos General Secretary: Mrs. Kyriaki Galani Mr. Korlos has been a Treasurer then the General Secretary for the past year. Mrs. Galani is a former weightlifter, coach and Technical Committee Member. The Hellenic Weightlifting Federation is promoting the participation of women officials in their governance; this is the very first time that a woman holds the General Secretary position within the federation. Congratulations to all the elected

Ymer Pampuri passed away

It is our deep regret to inform you that on January 18th, Olympic Medalist Ymer Pampuri passed away. He was the only Olympic Champion from Albania. At the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, he set the new Olympic Record in the press with 127.5 kg in men’s 60 kg. Additionally he received a bronze medal in Drezden at the European World Championships in Berlin in 1976. Mr. Pampuri broke over 40 national records and for years kept his 1st place in Albania. He will remain for centuries as an Albanian Weightlifting Icon and source of inspiration for the younger generation. The IWF presents its sincere condolences to the Family of Mr. Ymer Pampuri as well as to the Albanian Weightlifting Federation. Source: Elez Gjoza, President of the Albanian Weightlifting

USA Weightlifting Statement on Recent Government Action

Some questions have arisen about the recent executive order regarding immigration that was issued by President Donald Trump on Friday. USA Weightlifting will host the 2017 IWF Weightlifting World Championships later this year in Anaheim, Calif. Press inquiries can be directed to [email protected] or [email protected]. The following statement is from Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Weightlifting: "Our view is that politics and sport should be separate. Weightlifting provides an excellent opportunity to interact with our fellow nations from all parts of the planet in a peaceful and cooperative fashion. At this time, we are still working out what impacts beyond the initial 90 day period that this issue may have, both on Iran's participation in the World Championships in Anaheim, CA, and on our own team's participation in the Fajr Cup in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We sincerely hope to peacefully welcome these 7 nations to Anaheim this November. It is unimaginable to be able to host a true World event without their participation." The U.S. Olympic Committee provided its own update about the situation Monday. Attributable to United States Olympic Committee Chairman Larry Probst and USOC CEO Scott Blackmun: “We have received a number of inquiries about the executive order regarding immigration that was issued by President Trump on Friday. Like the United States, the Olympic Movement was founded based upon principles of diversity and inclusion, of opportunity and overcoming adversity. As the steward of the Olympic Movement in the United States, we embrace those values. We also acknowledge the difficult task of providing for the safety and security of a nation. It is our sincere hope that the executive order as implemented will appropriately recognize the values on which our nation, as well as the Olympic Movement, were founded. “We have been specifically asked about the impact that the executive order could have on athletes and officials coming to the United States to compete. Recognizing the extraordinary power of international sport to bring people together in a peaceful celebration of friendship, excellence and respect, the U.S. government has today advised us that it will work with us to ensure that athletes and officials from all countries will have expedited access to the United States in order to participate in international athletic competitions. “We appreciate your support and patience.” The IWF is closely monitoring the situation and will proceed to a Technical Visit in Anaheim later this month. In close cooparation with USA Weightlifting, the aim is to clarify the situation, inform the Membership and working on the smooth organization of the 2017 IWF World Championships that would not affect the

Olympic Champion René Duverger was born 106 years ago

He started his career as a football player until he switched his interest to weightlifting at the age of 16. René Duverger was among the alltogether 10 French Olympic Champions. He was born 106 years ago on January 30th, was 164cm tall but compared to his stature - still a very strong character. By the age of 19, he became an internationally recognized weightlifter, who won a silver medal in 1930 at the European Championships. His biggest achievement was a Olympic Gold Medal at the Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games in the men’s 67,5 kg category. Later he won silver and bronze medals at the European Championships; and he finished seventh at the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games. Mr. Duverger became the best at the French Championships between 1930 and 1945 ten times. After retirement he was the General Secretary of the French Weightlifting Federation and continued to inspire the youth in getting engaged with weightlifting. He passed away at the age of

Updated Sinclair Coefficients available

The updated Sinclair Coefficients for 2017 – 2020 are available here. Considering the contradiction following the abolishment of the bodyweight advantage, the IWF is investigating an alternative system that could provide a more objective solution to compare athletes’ results in the different bodyweight