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Born on the same day – Olympic champion at the same time

What a coincidence; even though Petr Korol and Valery Shariy were not born the same year, they were both born on the 2nd of January. They became Olympic gold medallists in Montreal at the 1976 Olympic Games as members of the Soviet team. Korol, who was born in 1941 - already passed away - achieved his gold medal in the men’s 67,5 kg while Shariy who celebrates his 70th birthday today, became champion in the men’s 82,5 kg. Other matching point is that they both became world champions more than once and set world records in their own categories. For the record, the Soviet weightlifting team achieved outstanding results in Montreal. At that time, men won Gold Medals in seven bodyweight categories out of the available nine. Happy Birthday to Valery Shariy!

Weightlifters were voted as Athlete of the Year in Georgia

Lasha Talakhadze was voted as Athlete of the Year in Georgia by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs. Talakhadze, the Gold medal winner and the World record holder of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, was the frontrunner and a clear favorite to win this award. Last year’s winner, wrestler Vladimer Khinchagashvili was second. The award ceremony was held in Hotels & Preference Hualing Hotel, which hosted the IWF Congress during the 2016 IWF Junior World Championships. Head coach of the Georgian weightlifting National Team, Giorgi Asanidze was voted as the Coach of the Year. Asanidze is the multiple winner of the Athlete of the Year Award, during his career. Talakhadze: “This means a lot for me. 2016 was the best period of my career, but that does not mean anything. I have to keep working with the same passion as before and I hope to be in a great shape, come 2017. This would not be possible without assistance from my coaches, without love from my friends and of course, my family. This is dedicated to all of you. Let the peace prevail in your life.” Talakhadze was also voted as a Sportsman of the Year in the Channel 1 (National Broadcaster) annual poll. The giant just keeps working and winning. Anastasia Hotfrid was voted as a Female Athlete of the Year. That was the best season of her young and promising career. She took silver medal at the Junior World Championships and the sky is the limit. Congratulations to all the outstanding awarded

Weightlifting in Teleton in Chile

Teleton is a charity event held in Chile on a yearly basis since 1978. The major Chilean television networks hold a 27-hour transmission to raise funds to help children with developmental disabilities treated at Instituto de Rehabilitacion Infantil ("Infant Rehabilitation Institute") centers of the Fundación Teleton. In Chile, the transmission of Teletón is an event of national unity and the most widely watched telethon in the world. During the annual event, local and worldwide stars participate in live events across the country. This year a new space was incorporated to Teleton: The "Olimpiaton". Continuing with the Olympic spirit and the big impact of the "live" transmission of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, some TV personalities accepted the challenge to do a short demonstration of some sports, i.e. athletics, gymnastics and weightlifting that are more attractive to the public. The “competition” was developed in a fantastic scenario, like Rio, and the Chilean Olympic representative Maria Fernanda Valdes was elected as advisor and referee. There were no Olympic records, the movements were not technically the best, but it was an excellent opportunity to promote weightlifting to the biggest audience in the Chilean TV, and consolidated weightlifting as one of the most popular sports in TV. Check out the

Anti-Doping Seminar in Sucre, Bolivia

A successful Anti-Doping Seminar was held on 10 December in Sucre, Bolivia on the eve of the South American U15 and U17 Championships. Mr. Marcelo Munoz, Doping Control Officer and Pharmacist spoke in front of 70 participants, among them athletes, Technical Officials and the officials of South-American IWF Member Federations. The participants could hear a detailed explanation on the IWF Anti-Doping Policy as well as rules most used in practice and were given a wide range of information on the recent events in the world of Anti-Doping. The IWF embraces the grown interest shown by the attendants and is always happy to provide assistance to those who wish to

Association of the South-American Weightlifting Coaches

During the Under 17 and Under 15 South American Championships in Sucre, Bolivia; the Weightlifting Coaches of South-America formed their Association in presence of Jose Quinones, South-American Confederation President and IWF Vice President. The South-American Weightlifting Confederation is happy to announce the creation of this platform of common interest, including education, anti-doping activity and modern coaching techniques. This Association is open to all the coaches in the

Season’s Greetings 2017

Please note that due to the holidays the IWF office will close partly from 23 December 2016 until 2 January 2017. On the occasion of the Festive Season, the IWF Secretariat wishes you all a Happy and Prosperous New