Archive from

2019 IWF World Championships opens in Pattaya

The 2019 IWF World Championships opened in Pattaya today with an Opening Ceremony which showcased the best of Thailand’s rich culture. The Ceremony began with a video which took the audience on a journey across the beautiful resort of Pattaya and the surrounding region. It was followed by a drum and wind instrument musical performance before IWF President Tamas Ajan and TAWA President Madam Boossaba Yodbangtoey addressed the audience alongside the Mayor of Pattaya. IWF President Ajan said: “This is a very special occasion. We are very grateful and happy that TAWA has invited the weightlifting family for these World Championships. This is a very important event: 100 countries with more than 600 competitors from all five continents from the world are here. I thank TAWA and the Executive Board members who are here and we are ready to celebrate a fantastic competition.” The IWF President officially declared the World Championships open which was the cue for the flag parade of the 100 participating nations. The host country’s flag was raised to the Thai national anthem. The final act of an engaging ceremony was a traditional Thai drum performance. The World Championships will run until the 27

Turkish winner announced in W45

In the lightest women’s bodyweight category, Turkey’s European Champion this year, ERDOGAN Saziye triumphed. The 27-year-old lifter won the Snatch with 77kg, but could only defeat MONTERO RAMOS Ludia M (CUB) with a 1kg advance, the 2019 Pan-American Champion. Vietnamese KHONG My Phuong wasn’t far behind either with 74kg, this year's Junior World Champion. In the Clean and Jerk, KHONG was only able to lift 87kg, so she had no hope for another medal. From the Turkish-Cuban duel, the European contestant emerged victorious, who cleaned 92kg, which was enough for the Silver Medal, but with 169kg in Total, she became World Champion. This required MONTERO RAMOS to finish the competition at 91kg, which put her on the fourth place in this lift, although she earned the Silver in Total with 167kg. In the Clean and Jerk, Indonesian SETIAWATI Lisa scored gold with 95kg and could stand on the third podium with her Total result of 165kg. The bronze medal of the second lift went to the other Vietnamese participant, 2019 Asian Champion VUONG Thi

OM Yun Chol is World Champion for the fifth time!

The London Olympic Gold and Rio Olympic Silver medallist North Korean lifter performed 128kg in the Snatch, gaining 8kg advance over his closest competitors. In the Clean and Jerk, he put even more distance between himself and the field and did not only win gold for this lift but easily won the Total as well. OM secured 155kg then proceeded to 163kg, which would have been a new World Record. He held the previous one too with 162kg. He failed this lift, but at the third attempt, he went even higher, to 166kg. This time, he performed a good lift and set the World Record not only in the Clean and Jerk but in Total as well, modifying the World Standard from 293kg to 294kg. Behind him in second place was Vietnamese NGUYEN Tran Anh Tuan with 120kg and bronze medallist SON Igor (KAZ) with the same result. Iranian GHASHGHAEI Hafez came in second in the Clean and Jerk with 149kg. Iran did not have a medal in the lightest men’s bodyweight category since legendary lifter in the 60’s, Mohammad Nassiri. The bronze in this lift went to AL SALEEM Mansour Abdulrahim M (KSA). Thanks to his 147kg Total result, he was third in Total too with 265kg, while SON Igor received the bronze medal in

Independent Member Federations Sanctions Panel decision on Egyptian Weightlifting Federation

The Independent Member Federations Sanctions Panel (IMFSP) has suspended the Egyptian Weightlifting Federation for a period of two years. The Egyptian Weightlifting Federation was officially informed of the decision by the IMFSP on 12 September 2019 and has 21 days from this date to appeal to CAS. The IMFSP has the sole authority to impose sanctions on Member Federations, in line with Article 12 of the IWF Anti-Doping Policy, which was approved by the IWF Executive Board in order to ensure greater independence and transparency. No further comment will be made on this matter until the period of appeal has

IWF Congress concludes ahead of record-breaking IWF World Championships

The IWF Congress took place in Pattaya today with representatives from 100 Member Federations in attendance to hear updates on the latest IWF activities and contribute their ideas and feedback. The full agenda included updates from each of the IWF Committees and Commissions as well as progress reports on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and upcoming IWF World Championships at Senior, Junior and Youth level. IWF President Tamas Ajan said: “It is always a great honour to host the IWF Congress and welcome our colleagues from around the world. It is during our Congress and World Championships that you can get a sense of what a global and widely-loved sport, weightlifting truly is. “We had a very full agenda at today but it was greatly encouraging to hear of all the fantastic work that our Committees and Commissions are doing across all areas of our sport. The last few years have seen significant enhancements across many areas of weightlifting, particularly in the strengthening of our anti-doping programme, which has been recognised by WADA and the IOC. But we know there is always room for improvement. We have many planned reforms and innovations that we heard about today that will further improve our sport and many excellent events to look forward to. Working together with all our members we have a very excited future ahead.” One of the most important updates at the Congress came from the IWF Anti-Doping Commission who reported that more than 1,100 in-competition tests have been conducted this year on athletes from 89 countries, using a number of different world-class sample collection authorities. The Commission noted a decline in the number of ineligible athletes at their events and encouraged all Member Federations to promote #iLiftCLEAN e-learning platform. The International Testing Agency (ITA) Director General Benjamin Cohen reported that more than 550 out-of-competition tests have been conducted this year by ITA, on athletes from more than 50 nations. Cohen also revealed that WADA had expressed its satisfaction with the IWF’s anti-doping programme following its audit over the summer. The IWF Development and Education Commission noted that all of its funding had been distributed through the 2019 IWF Development Programme with 71% of the Member Federations that applied for funding receiving it this year. The Commission also revealed plans for two pioneering University courses – International Sports Law and Administration Masters and Weightlifting Training Masters – which will significantly enhance knowledge and expertise within the weightlifting family. An update was provided on the IWF’s progress in good governance. IWF Director General Attila Adamfi explained the critical importance of good governance being at the heart of all the IWF’s operations and expressed the federation’s pledge to improving its score in the next ASOIF Governance Review. Good governance is crucial for all IWF stakeholders and Adamfi reported on the comprehensive external evaluation that has been conducted into the Continental Federations’ governance, using the same principles applied by ASOIF. The IWF aims to also provide guidelines for Member Federations. The Technical Committee presented on the importance of the introduction of Video Playback Technology to ensure correct officiating, which drew praise from IOC Member Ivan Dibos. The Medical Committee reiterated the importance of protecting the health and welfare of the athletes and urged Member Federations to ensure only qualified medical practitioners treated athletes. An update was also given on the IWF’s approach to transgender athletes which it confirmed would remain unchanged until after Tokyo 2020. The Coaching and Research Committee spoke of plans to establish development officers within each Continental Federation to ensure projects were tailored specifically to each continent. A report on the 2019 IWF budget was presented, with it explained that revenues were higher than originally budgeted. The budget for 2020 is set to be very positive due to the impact of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The IWF’s commitment to anti-doping was further reinforced by the fact that 40% of the IWF’s total revenue is spent on anti-doping. The Membership Commission reported that three countries – British Virgin Islands, Bermuda and St Lucia – had applied for provisional membership demonstrating the ever-growing popularity of weightlifting. The Women’s Commission informed the Congress of the progress that has been made in promoting gender equality but outlined that further steps are required to increase female representation in executive positions. Special congratulations was reserved for the Member Federation of Iran which has sent female athletes to this year’s World Championships for the first time. An update was given on the weightlifting at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the success of the Qualification System which has strengthened anti-doping and stimulated athletes to compete in broader number of events. The meeting concluded with a presentation from Peace and Sport, who encouraged Member Federations to promote peace and engage in the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, and presentations from barbell manufacturers and sponsors. The IWF Congress followed a two-day meeting of the IWF Executive Board, which took place on 15-16 September. The IWF Committees met the day before on 14 September. The IWF World Championships will take place on 18-27 September in

IWF Executive Board selects Chongqing as host of the 2022 IWF World Championships

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Executive Board (EB) today selected Chongqing, China as the host of the 2022 IWF World Championships. The decision was taken during a two-day meeting which saw constructive discussions and updates from the IWF Committees and Commissions. President of the Chinese Weightlifting Association Jinqiang Zhou presented the city’s bid to the EB which will see China host the World Championships for the first time since 1995.   During the meeting, the Development and Education Commission provided an update on the distribution of this year’s funding through the 2019 IWF Development Programme, which supports the growth of weightlifting around the world. The principles of the 2020 IWF Development Programme were also approved. Reports were given by the Membership Commission, Technical Committee, Medical Committee and Coaching and Research Committee. An update on the IWF Strategic Plan was delivered and the EB approved the principles and timeline to implement a good governance review of its Continental Federations. The IWF will then create good governance guidelines for its Member Federations. The EB also approved a technical rule change that creates the pathway for refugee athletes to compete in IWF events in the future. The EB received a report from the Anti-Doping Commission and an update from International Testing Agency’s (ITA’s) Ben Cohen, as the federation continues its commitment to protecting clean lifters and ensuring a level playing field. An update was also provided on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualification – a qualification system that has drawn praise from IOC President Thomas Bach and has significantly increased the number of qualification events from seven for Rio 2016, to a minimum of 62 for Tokyo 2020. The International Technical Officials for Tokyo 202, the 2020 IWF budget and minutes from the previous Board meeting were all unanimously approved. IWF President Tamas Ajan said: “We are delighted to announce Chongqing as the host of the 2022 IWF World Championships. We are sure that they will host a world-class event that will showcase the new era for weightlifting in China. “We have had a constructive Executive Board meeting here in Pattaya. It is important that all our members are able to contribute their ideas and feedback and that we engage in collaborative discussions on how best to lead our sport forward. We are at a very important time for the IWF and it is critical that we build on the strong foundation we have established for our athletes over the last few years. We will see how strong the health of weightlifting is this week during the World Championships which have attracted athletes from more nations than ever before.” The meeting took place ahead of the 2019 IWF World Championships, for which athletes from a record 100 nations are registered. The IWF Congress will meet in Pattaya on 17 September on the eve of the World