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IWF President Mohammed Jalood meets with the Bulgarian Minister of Sports

The IWF President Mohamed Jalood is on an official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of Aref Majed, the new president of the Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation. During his visit, the IWF President met Vesela Lecheva, the Bulgarian Minister of Youth and Sports. The IWF delegation in Bulgaria also includes Antonio Conflitti, president of the European Weightlifting Federation, Milan Mihajlovic, general secretary of the European Weightlifting Federation, David Kipshidze, vice-president of the European Weightlifting Federation, and Alexandru-Christian Padure, president of the Romanian Weightlifting Federation and executive board member of European Weightlifting Federation.  "It is very important for us that the problems in the Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation are solved, because it is one of IWF’s most valued members. Your country's success in our sport is an inalienable part of its history, present and future," said IWF President Mohammed Jalood. During the meeting, Vesela Lecheva emphasised the importance of providing a good competitive environment for both athletes and coaches before the important upcoming competitions. Moreover, the Minister informed that Bulgaria has resumed talks about hosting major championships. "One of the important policies of the Ministry of Youth and Sports is the announcement of the willingness to host World and European championships, world cups, and other major international competitions. They give the concerned federations the opportunity to gain experience, to put a certain sport on the big stage, which is important for competitors and fans, so we will support the efforts of the Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation as well," Bulgarian minister Lecheva said. The IWF President Mohammed Jalood is impressed by the world record holder Karlos Nasar. In his opinion, Nasar is one of the biggest young talents in the sport and he expressed his sincere wishes for a complete and speedy recovery for the recently-injured athlete and a successful participation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. "Bulgaria has excellent weightlifters and I am sure that we will see the Bulgarian flag in Paris next year," declared the IWF President. The two sides also discussed the intention of the International Federation to cooperate with the Bulgarian National Sports Academy for the training of specialists. Mr Jalood expressed his intention to sign an agreement between the European Weightlifting Federation and the Bulgarian National Sports Academy in September in Saudi Arabia during the IWF World Championships. "Bulgaria has some of the best coaches in the world, so I'm happy that this is also appreciated by the IWF. For us, as the leadership of the ministry, the professional path of the coaches is also key, and this was the reason why we made a programme for their financial and career support," added the Bulgarian Minister.  Finally, Ms Lecheva supported and praised the IWF leadership for its merciless efforts in fighting against doping and its clean-sport

Countdown for the IWF Worlds in Riyadh is launched!

The IWF sent yesterday to its National Member Federations a circular with the milestones for the upcoming IWF World Championships, taking place in Riyadh (KSA) from September 4-17, 2023. In accordance with the applicable deadlines, Preliminary entries are to be sent by no later than June 4, while Final entries must be confirmed until July 4. The verification of the Final entries will be done on August 21, two weeks before the start of the IWF showcase. At the preliminary entry phase, National Federations may register up to 20 athletes per gender, while the final entry stage is limited to a maximum of 10 athletes (plus two reserves) per gender. The Saudi competition is the most important IWF rendezvous of the year and will naturally be a qualification event for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (FRA). Other IWF opportunities providing the possibility of getting an Olympic “ticket” include the 2022 World Championships, the two 2023 Grand Prix and the 2024 World Cup. Continental Championships in 2023 and 2024 complete the list of occasions where the best lifters at global scale can ensure their presence in the

IWF Press Release – Participation of PRK athletes at the upcoming IWF Grand Prix 

The IWF is aware of comments made by members of the weightlifting community regarding the return to competition of athletes representing the People's Republic of Korea (PRK). As an International Federation determined to eradicate doping and deliver a fair and clean sport, we fully understand the strength of feeling on this matter and recognise the legitimate concerns of those speaking out. We would like to remind people of the steps the IWF has taken after receiving entries for PRK athletes to compete in the IWF Grand Prix in Cuba. We immediately consulted ITA (the International Testing Agency and IWF's partner, independently responsible for all the federation’s anti-doping activities) and our legal team on this matter, and were made aware that the current rules do not allow the IWF to suspend athletes for the failure of their national authorities and their National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) to implement proper framework allowing independent unannounced testing on their territory. Moreover, the establishment of a compliant anti-doping programme in PRK, including granting access to international Doping Control Officers (DCOs) is not within the realm of the IWF’s control. That is why the IWF had no legal grounds to not accept entries of PRK athletes to its upcoming event. It must be noted that, as per IWF rules, the PRK Weightlifting Federation provided the necessary whereabouts information on its athletes three months before the start of the concerned competition. We would also like to underline that from 1 January 2024, and upon the recommendation of the ITA, strengthened IWF rules will establish a new system of categorising National Member Federations based on their doping “risk” and will require minimum levels of testing for athletes competing in IWF events, thus working towards an improved level-playing field for all participating lifters. In the immediate term, the IWF will use the opportunity of the IWF Grand Prix in Cuba to meet with PRK officials and inform them of the seriousness of the situation. At the same time, the IWF will ask for the co-operation of PRK authorities to facilitate the access of independent testing teams in their country. The IWF notes that the PRK’s NADO has been declared non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency. While the decision of non-compliance does not restrict PRK athletes from competing in sports competitions, nor does it mandate any testing requirement, the IWF will work hand in hand with WADA and the ITA to ensure proper monitoring and testing of PRK athletes, in particular in the lead-up to the 2024 Olympic Games. If the IWF considers that the level of co-operation of PRK authorities is preventing the correct assessment and testing of their athletes, the participation of a PRK team at the Games will naturally be re-evaluated by the

Athletes Direct Support Programme: one more week to apply!

Following the recent announcement (link here) by the IWF of an Athletes Direct Support Programme, aimed at assisting 10 weightlifters in their preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (FRA), the IWF can confirm that some places are still available! As per the regulations of this initiative, interested lifters have to send their application form to the IWF by no later than May 31, 2023. As a reminder, these scholarships are to be awarded to five male and five female athletes from developing nations and under the following eligibility criteria: participation in at least one IWF Olympic qualification event until July 1, 2023; inclusion in the top-25 of the IWF Olympic Ranking; absence of sanction for an anti-doping violation; provision of whereabouts for the entire period of the programme (July-December 2023). The allocated amount for this project is US 30’000, including US 5’000 personally donated by the IWF President Mohammed Jalood. Each of the selected athletes will receive US$ 3’000, to be distributed in three payments (July, October, and December 2023). The relevant documents on this topic are: Athlete Scholarship Application Form IWF AC Direct Support Program

422 lifters ready to shine in Havana (CUB)

409 athletes from 72 nations (plus 13 Individual Neutral Athletes, following the approval by the IWF Executive Board on May 20, 2023) are expected to compete in Havana, the Cuban capital, from June 8-18, in the first 2023 IWF Grand Prix. This important competition is a qualification event for the 2024 Paris Games, and follows the 2023 editions of four continental championships (Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa), also opportunities for the best lifters in the world to get their “ticket” for the Olympic celebration. The final entry list for the Cuban rendezvous is now available on the IWF website (link here), and at this stage participating nations have still the possibility to enter two reserve athletes in each gender. Overall, each National Member Federation is entitled to a maximum of 20 participating lifters (10 per gender). In accordance with the present list, the top-5 ranking of the most represented nations includes USA (24), Canada and Cuba (both with 21), Egypt (20), Guatemala and Kazakhstan (19 lifters each). After the 2022 IWF World Championships in December, the four above-mentioned continental championships and the Grand Prix in Cuba, the remaining events qualifying for next year’s Games include the Oceania Championships in November, the second IWF Grand Prix of the year in Doha (QAT) in December, the 2024 continental showcases (January/February 2024) and the IWF World Cup in April 2024 in Phuket

IWF Executive Board Meeting – May 20, 2023

Following its meeting on May 12, 2023 and the implementation of the IWF Policy related to the participation of athletes and support personnel with Russian and Belarussian passports at IWF events, the IWF Executive Board gathered today to officially validate the status of the following AIN athletes and support personnel: Petr ASAYONAK (Athlete)                                    ELIGIBLEAndrei FRALOU (Athlete)                                     ELIGIBLEPavel KHADASEVICH (Athlete)                            ELIGIBLEDarya KHEIDZER (Athlete)                                   ELIGIBLEHenadz LAPTSEU (Athlete)                                  ELIGIBLERyna LITOSHYK (Athlete)                                      ELIGIBLEIhar LOZKA (Athlete)                                             ELIGIBLEDziyana MAISEYEVICH (Athlete)                        ELIGIBLESiarhei SHARANKOU (Athlete)                            ELIGIBLEAlina SHCHAPANAVA (Athlete)                          ELIGIBLEYauheni TSIKHANTSOU (Athlete)                       ELIGIBLESiuzanna VALODZKA (Athlete)                            ELIGIBLEEduard ZIAZIULIN (Athlete)                                 ELIGIBLEIhar BIRSKI (Doctor)                                              ELIGIBLEAliaksei FILIPENIA (Therapist)                             ELIGIBLEVitaliy KREIDICH (Official)                                    ELIGIBLEAleh LOBAN (Coach)                                             ELIGIBLENatallia RADUKHOUSKAYA (Team Leader)     ELIGIBLEValery SIZIANOK (Coach)                                     ELIGIBLE All the individuals in this list have a Belarussian passport.   No signed declarations were received from athletes or support personnel with a Russian passport by the end of the established deadline (May 15, 2023). Therefore, AIN lifters and related staff with Russian passports lost the opportunity to enter the upcoming IWF event in Cuba. The IWF gave an equal and fair opportunity to the athletes and support personnel from both concerned countries to participate at the IWF Grand Prix in La Havana (CUB). These recommendations follow the IOC guidelines. The IWF opted for a non-exclusion policy, as it deeply believes that sport is one of the most powerful tools for international unity and solidarity. Within this spirit of tolerance, and while reiterating its unconditional support for the athletes and sport authorities in Ukraine, the IWF established eligibility criteria and conditions of participation at the upcoming IWF event for individual neutral