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Sarah Davies: Birmingham 2022 will be women’s time to shine

  Today Birmingham 2022 is confirming that it will be the first major multi-sport event to award more medals to women than men for the first time in history. This is a huge landmark for women's sport, and I am delighted and proud to be part of the Athletes' Advisory Committee for a Games that clearly values women's sport so highly. We've been waiting in the wings for a long time. The Gold Coast edition of the Games two years ago saw a big step forward, with an equal number of medals awarded to men and women but in two years' time women will finally be taking centre stage. We've had high hopes that this moment would come but today, with the full unveiling of the medal event programme for the Games, we've now had confirmation that it's our time to shine. To celebrate this historic milestone Birmingham 2022 has gathered together some legends, current competitors and rising stars of women's sport, to take part in a series of live discussions throughout the day and I'm honoured to have been invited to be part of it all. We'll be looking back at the history of the Commonwealth Games movement and discussing some of the key moments that have led us to this point, with Commonwealth Games Federation President, Dame Louise Martin, Olympic and Commonwealth pentathlon champion, Lady Mary Peters, the first ever women's Commonwealth triple jump champion, Ashia Hansen, and Australian cycling legend, Anna Meares. I'll be part of a panel with one of my Team England team mates from the Gold Coast Games, gold medal winning netballer Eboni Usoro-Brown, and we'll be joined by three outstanding Para-athletes who'll be hoping to take part in the Games for the first time in Birmingham; swimmer Maisie Summers-Newton, wheelchair basketballer Siobhan Fitzpatrick and five-time Paralympic champion and 12-time world champion, Hannah Cockroft. Because not only is Birmingham 2022 going to be a wonderful celebration of women's sport, but it will also be an important showcase for Para-sport, as this edition of the Games will have the biggest ever Para-sport offering, with eight sports fully integrated into the programme. The third and final panel will look ahead to the future of women's sport because although we've made great progress, our work is not yet done, as we need to work together to ensure that more women are appointed into senior management positions in sport and that more women have a seat at the boardroom table too. I've been enjoying my role as chair of the International Weightlifting Federation Athletes' Commission and it would be good to see more women given opportunities like this. As well as the 136 medal events for women and 134 for men, Birmingham 2022 will have 13 mixed events for athletes to take part in, more than we've ever had before at a Commonwealth Games. This will include mixed synchronising three metre springboard diving and synchronised 10m platform diving, as well as swimming relays and mixed Para-athletics relays – another first for the Games. Right now, it is such an exciting time to be involved in Birmingham 2022. Just a few days ago the daily schedule for the Games was also unveiled, so we now know exactly which sports will take place on every single one of the 11 days of competition. The Games will start with a bang as the first day is packed with action and will feature 14 different sports. This includes basketball 3x3 at the recently announced venue at Smithfield in the centre of Birmingham, artistic gymnastics at Arena Birmingham, and hockey and squash at the University of Birmingham, unveiled last month as a major partner for the Games. Women's cricket T20, added to the programme in August last year, will be also begin at Edgbaston Stadium on Friday July 29 and the aquatics programme will start on the same day with the swimmers getting the action underway at the brand new Sandwell Aquatics Centre, which is currently under construction in Smethwick. My focus will be on days two to seven when the weightlifting and Para-powerlifting will be taking place at the NEC but it is a sports programme which has something for everyone and will also showcase the entire West Midlands region, with events taking place from Cannock Chase Forest to Leamington Spa and from West Park in Wolverhampton to Sutton Park in Birmingham. This week has also seen another major moment for the Games with the launch of a new advertising campaign, with some of the West Midlands' finest and athletes from further afield all coming together to help celebrate greatness and build the excitement for Birmingham 2022. The Games is clearly starting to take shape and it’s all beginning to feel very real. I for one cannot wait for the summer of 2022 to arrive and I know that sportswomen from across the Commonwealth will seize the historic opportunity that Birmingham 2022 is providing, to demonstrate exactly why women should always be in the sporting spotlight.   Source : Sarah Davies -

The IWF Constitution Reform and Electoral Congress receives support from Member Federations

Only a few short days have passed since the IWF Executive Board circulated a call for a Constitution Reform Congress and an Electoral Congress to be held from 24 to 27 March in Lausanne. However, more than one hundred Member Federations have already contacted the IWF to show their support for this decision. The IWF would like to express its gratitude and acknowledge the Member Federations in question. Together, we can deliver the reform our sport needs to ensure a brighter

Update to Member Federations

Only a few days have passed since the IWF Executive Board (EB) appointed me as Interim President, but already I am happy to be able to report on some key progress. It is very much apparent we have no time to lose when it comes to delivering progress in vital areas of anti-doping and governance reform. The IOC has made it clear to us that how we act now will directly affect weightlifting’s place on the Olympic Programme for Paris 2024. Throughout my involvement in this sport, the welfare of weightlifters has been my absolute priority. That will not change. It is up to all of us to now move the situation forward and secure the possibility for our young lifters to take their place on the Olympic platform. As the fourth IWF President within six months, I am very much aware that different people have different versions of recent events. Ursula Papandrea has, for example, voiced criticism. The EB has already addressed a number of the issues she raised with the IOC, while concentrating on moving weightlifting forward. As you can imagine, these initial days have been filled with triage – prioritising the urgent issues. Of most importance has been the confirmation that any changes to the Olympic Qualification System that might become necessary on account of COVID-19 will be entirely consistent with the principles already agreed, notably those around clean sport. We have moved quickly to further consolidate the independence and professionalism of anti-doping efforts in international weightlifting, by finalising a contract to extend our partnership with the International Testing Agency (ITA) to the end of 2024. The ITA is also following up on the cases revealed by the investigation carried out by Professor Richard McLaren and his team. We have encouraged and empowered the ITA to be as transparent as they can with this process. Deadlines, meanwhile, can be helpful in focusing minds and ensuring accountability. So we have been happy to notify Member Federations of a Constitution Reform Congress to be held on 24th and 25th March 2021 in Lausanne, and understand that Swiss law would allow for this to take place in a hybrid online / offline format if necessary on account of the pandemic. Similarly, we have notified members of an Electoral Congress to take place in the same location and in the same way on 26th and 27th March. To satisfactorily complete the task of renewing our governance framework and policies in time for a March Congress will require great commitment and also independent professional expertise. Fortunately, the IWF is able to call on this in the form of external legal and governance experts as members of the Reform and Governance Commission and as members of the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission. The EB is moving quickly to ensure the right people are appointed, on the understanding that bringing in outside experts was a key part of the way we successfully satisfied the IOC’s previous concerns on anti-doping. As the EB carries out this work for reforming the IWF, we must also maintain our focus on competition and development. We would like to take a moment to recognise the efforts of so many lifters and coaches to keep improving throughout the pandemic. And we would like to recognise the efforts of so many clubs to continue providing opportunities for our young lifters. Clearly these efforts are paying dividends, in the form of record entries for our first Online Youth World Cup, to be held from 11 to 18 November. More than 450 lifters from more than 60 countries are entered, effectively demonstrating the next generation’s strength in numbers. Much more progress will be required in the coming months, of course. We are committed to delivering that progress. Thank you for your support. Yours sincerely, Dr. Michael Irani IWF Interim President Mohammed Jalood IWF General

IWF Constitution Reform and Electoral Congress

On 15th October, the IWF Executive Board decided on the date of the next IWF Constitution Reform and Electoral Congress. According to the decision, the Congress will be held between 24th and 27th March 2021, in either Lausanne, Switzerland or Istanbul, Turkey. Due to the unpredictable situation of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Executive Board is currently looking into further possibilities in case the restrictions caused by the virus will not allow for the IWF Congress to be held in either location. Preliminary Schedule of the Congress: Day of arrival:                                                           23rd March 2021 (Tuesday) IWF Constitution Reform Congress:                        24th -25th March (Wednesday-Thursday) IWF Electoral Congress:                                          26th-27th March (Friday-Saturday) Departure:                                                                28th March 2021 (Sunday) The IWF EB reserves the right to change the place and date of the Congress. In case of any change the decision will be duly communicated to the Member Federations and

China’s National Weightlifting Championships

The Chinese National Weightlifting Championships was organized to meet the desire of weightlifting competition for Chinese lifters after a long period! The National Championships for Chinese males lifters is held between October 16 and 19 in Shaoyang, Hunan Province, where the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Championships will be hosted next year, and for female lifters from October 22 to 25 in Kaihua, Zhejiang Province, the hometown of Mr. ZHAN Xugang, weightlifting Champion in both 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, and in which province the 2022 Asian Games will be hosted. The two Championships have attracted 498 athlete entries in total, with 282 male lifters and 216 female lifters. CCTV (China Central Television) will broadcast live all categories of both events and CHINADA will implement the doping tests for both events. In order to ensure the health of all participants, athletes in particular, Chinese Weightlifting Association and the local governments have formulated a strict epidemic prevention and control plan, and all participants shall abided by related plan and rules. Spectators will be admitted to attend both Championships, operating at 75 per cent spectator capacity. Both events are also considered as simulation competitions of Tokyo Olympic Games for Chinese National Team, with athletes including Olympic Champions Ms. DENG Wei, Mr. LYU Xiaojun and Mr. SHI Zhiyong, as well as World Champions Ms. HOU Zhihui, Ms. LI Yajun, Ms. ZHANG Wangli, Ms. WANG Zhouyu, Ms. AO Hui, Ms. LI Wenwen, Mr. LI Fabin, Mr. CHEN Lijun, HUANG Minhao and Mr. YANG

PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

The IWF reports that, based on the Moscow Laboratory Information Management System (“LIMS”)  information and analytical data provided by WADA I & I and the International Testing Agency (“ITA”)’s own investigation, the IWF has asserted Anti-Doping Rule Violations against Ms Svetlana SHIMKOVA (RUS) under Article 2.2 of the IWF Anti-Doping Policy. The case is being handled by the ITA. Ms Svetlana SHIMKOVA (RUS) is provisionally suspended as of 16 October 2020. In any case where it is determined that the Athlete did not commit an anti-doping rule violation, the relevant decision will also be published. The IWF will not make any further comments on the case until it is