News

IWF Athlete Commission Appoints New Chair and Vice Chair

The International Weightlifting Federation Athlete’s Commission met to discuss a variety of matters including among others the recent resignation of its chair Sarah Davies. Due to this decision, the IWF Athlete’s Commission has now officially appointed Forrester Osei of Ghana as the new chair and elected of Hiromi Miyake of Japan as vice-chair. Miyake is a two-time Olympic medallist, winning a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics and bronze at the 2016 Olympics. She will now join Osei on the IWF Executive Board as IWF athlete representatives. IWF interim President Michael Irani commented “The IWF Executive Board would like to congratulate the new Chair and vice Chair of the Athletes Commission. The athlete perspective is a very important part of the development of our sport, it is imperative that the voice of our athletes is heard in leadership discussions and in our Executive Board, that’s why we are looking forward to continuing our strong partnership with the new chair Forrester Osei and also welcome Ms. Miyake to the board.” The IWF is a worldwide organisation focused on promoting weightlifting at the grassroots all the way up to elite level. As an inclusive sport, weightlifting promotes diversity and equality and against any kind of discrimination.    For any questions please contact [email protected]

IWF unveils new IWF Street Weightlifting Competition and Athlete Ambassador Program

The 1st “IWF Street Weightlifting” Competition will be held in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne in Switzerland on 23rd April. This new exciting international mixed team format of weightlifting is powered by Eleiko and will feature 14 of the world’s best athletes and Olympians from Europe, South America, and the Middle East.This new competition format sees the two athletes from the same country compete together against the other teams in an outdoor setting providing a unique and exciting atmosphere.  IWF Interim President Dr Michael Irani commented “This format can bring weightlifting into town centres and showcases the fun and competitive spirit of our sport.  We want to showcase how great our sport is in urban settings”. “As a long-standing IWF partner with deep connections to professional lifting, we are thrilled to sponsor this event and be part of debuting this new team format for weightlifting,” said Erik Blomberg, Eleiko CEO. “It brings an exciting new dynamic and energy to the sport and will undoubtedly inspire more people to try weightlifting and spark a passion for strength training.”As part of this inventive and forward-thinking project, the IWF also launches its IWF Athlete Ambassador Program.  Four elite athletes have been chosen as role models from the weightlifting family from all over the world to promote, educate, and strengthen equal, fair, and clean sport. The purpose of this program is to give back to the community, what the athletes have learnt through their years of competing and training at the highest level.As the first Qatari Olympic gold medallist and IWF Athlete Ambassador, Meso Hassona, said proudly “As a top-level athlete, I am thrilled and honoured to contribute back to the sport and the weightlifting community. The IWF is now consistently displaying their commitment to clean, equal, and fair sport and I am looking forward to participating in Lausanne, the Olympic capital.”Hassona, is one of the four IWF Athlete Ambassadors, the others being Yazmin Stevens (Malta), Hidilyn Diaz (Philippines), and Lesman Paredes (Colombia). Three of the IWF Athlete Ambassadors Meso, Yazmin and Lesman will be competing in the Street Weightlifting competition.Yazmin Stevens, Tokyo 2020 Olympian also participating at the event in Lausanne, she said:“I am overjoyed to be a part of the 1st IWF Street Weightlifting Competition. This is a unique event showcasing the ethos of the Olympics, citius, altius, fortius, in the heart of the Olympic city. I am looking forward to being amongst the best in weightlifting, where we all come together for equality, diversity, and clean

Albania Selected as Host of 2022 IWF Electoral Congress

April 13, 2022 - Lausanne, Switzerland – Today, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Executive Board announced the selection of Tirana, Albania as the country in which it will host the upcoming 2022 IWF Electoral Congress set to take place on 25-26 June.In an open tender process, all candidates were invited to submit their nomination forms and all related documents in advance of the IWF Executive Board meeting.With 10 countries vying to host the IWF Electoral Congress, each were given the opportunity to present their proposal to the IWF Executive Board. Additional information was further requested after the presentations. Soon after, each member of the IWF EB were asked to submit their confidential vote for their preferred host (each member was permitted one vote). With a majority vote, Tirana was selected as the preferred host. Notably, Albania will provide a neutral setting for the upcoming Electoral Congress as there are no candidates put forth by the national weightlifting federation.Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania, located in the centre of the country it is enclosed by mountains and hills to east with a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea.IWF Interim President, Dr. Michael Irani commented, “We are so pleased to be heading to Tirana for the 2022 IWF Electoral Congress. This is a very important milestone for us, as we were asked by our Olympic partners to address three issues this past year – first updating our constitution which has been completed, second cleaning up our sport from doping which we are happy to report that there have been zero cases in Tokyo 2020 and now the election coming up this summer will complete all three. I am looking forward to the congress and to the important decisions we will make for the future of our sport.”IWF General Secretary, Mohamed Jaloud added, “We have had overwhelming interest from around the world from cities and countries interested in hosting our electoral congress. It was a very hard decision, but we are looking forward to going to Tirana. We are confident that they will deliver a flawless event and ensure that the weightlifting family is supported on all levels. We could not ask for a better partner.”President of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Fidel Ylli said, “We are so pleased to have been selected as host of the 2022 IWF Electoral Congress. With our hosting and hospitality experience, we know that we will be able to provide the IWF with all the support needed to host an excellent event. Furthermore, the IWF is a great partner with a dynamic future, we are looking forward to welcoming the weightlifting family to Tirana in June.”For any questions, please

ITA – IWF Webinar Series // Third Webinar – 14 April 2022

We are pleased to invite the weightlifting community to the first webinar series organized by ITA on behalf of IWF in 2022. In the course of 5 weeks, 5 webinars are provided covering the key Anti-Doping areas. The third webinar information are the following: Topic: Medications, Supplements, Prohibited List and TUEs (Including the Principle of Strict Liability ) Date and time: 14 April 2022, 14:00-15:00 CET Registration link  The webinar will be in English and simultaneous translation will be provided in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. The athletes and athlete support personnel who take part in all 5 webinars will receive program completion

CGF confirm Victoria, Australia as host of 2026 Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has confirmed that the 2026 Commonwealth Games will be hosted by the State of Victoria in Australia.  The announcement follows a successful exclusive dialogue period between the CGF, Commonwealth Games Australia (CGAus) and Victoria, where an exciting proposal to stage the major multi-sport competition across the State was agreed.  The proposal capitalises on the 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap, which provides renewed flexibility to be innovative and creative in delivering the Games. In what will be a first ever predominantly regional Commonwealth Games, Victoria 2026 will be staged in March 2026 across multiple cities and regional hubs including Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland. The Opening Ceremony will take place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The approach will showcase the best of what the State has to offer and ensure a uniquely Victorian experience for the athletes and spectators.  There will be a phased approach in creating the sports programme for Victoria 2026. An initial 16 sports have been put forward for the Games, with further sports to be added later this year.  The CGF, CGAus and Victoria entered an exclusive dialogue period in February 2022. A CGF and CGAus visit to Victoria took place later that month. This was followed by a Victoria 2026 delegation presenting their 2026 Games Proposal to the CGF Executive Board in Birmingham, England in March 2022. The Proposal has now been approved by the CGF Executive Board, with the Host Contract to be signed in Victoria today.  CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: “The Commonwealth Games Federation is absolutely delighted to award the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Victoria.  Commonwealth Games Australia and the Victorian Government have set out a bold and innovative vision for hosting our major multi-sport event.  In Victoria, we believe we have found the perfect partner for the next stage of our journey.  This a very special moment for the Commonwealth Sport Family and on behalf of the entire Movement, I would like to congratulate Commonwealth Games Australia and Victoria on their successful Games submission. We now look forward to a bright future as we work together to stage a Commonwealth Games like no other.” Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews said: “It’s a great honour to have Victoria chosen as the host venue for the 2026 Commonwealth Games – we can’t wait to welcome the world to all of our state.” “The Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria is great for jobs, hospitality and our economy.” Australia has staged the Commonwealth Games on five occasions, with Victoria playing host to the Melbourne 2006 Games; widely considered one of the most successful editions of the event in history. The country has also staged the Games in Sydney in 1938, Perth in 1962, Brisbane in 1982 and most recently Gold Coast in 2018. Victoria has also hosted the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo in 2004." Commonwealth Games Australia President Ben Houston said: “Commonwealth Games Australia is thrilled to welcome the athletes of the Commonwealth back to Australia and we look forward to working with both the CGF and the Victorian Government to bring the Games to life across Victoria in 2026.” “A home Games will provide immeasurable benefits for our Member sports and will inspire our athletes in what will be a unique and exciting Games”. The 2026 Games will be the 23rd edition of the major multi-sport competition, which first began in Hamilton, Canada in 1930. Victoria is a world leading major events and tourism destination. The State has a strong track record for staging high profile sporting competition including The Australian Open tennis grand slam, the Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup. Victoria also regularly hosts elite cricket, golf and Australian Rules Football competition. The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be staged in Birmingham, England from 28 July – 8 August. Victoria 2026: Initial 16 sports on programme  Source: Commonwealth

Entry List is Now Available for the 2022 IWF Junior World Championships

The entry list of the 2022 IWF Junior World Championships is now available here. Compared to previously published entry lists, this new version not only includes the current ranking based on entry totals but any time someone makes a change in their bodyweight category or entry total, the ranking and the categories are automatically