News

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

Dr Michael Irani, IWF Interim President

In accordance with the IWF Constitution and By-laws the IWF Executive Board at its meeting held on October 15, 2020 appointed Dr. Michael Irani (GBR) as IWF Interim President. Dr. Irani is Chair of the IWF Medical Committee and a former Chair of the IWF Anti-Doping Commission. Dr Irani has extensive experience of the fight against doping and in safeguarding athlete welfare. Accepting the position, Dr. Irani said: “I am grateful to the IWF Executive Board for entrusting me with the Presidency on an interim basis. I do not intend to stand as a candidate for the IWF President position in the future, so I will be able to focus fully on the reforms leading up to a clear and transparent IWF Congress.” Dr Irani also voiced his gratitude to the IWF EB, Commissions and Member Federations for their continued commitment to key reforms in anti-doping, the IWF Constitution and governance. Welcoming the formation of the IWF Athletes’ Commission, whose Chairperson will be invited to participate in all future board meetings, Dr. Irani and the IWF EB committed to achieving to further progress in governance and constitutional reforms, and to implement the changes as soon as possible. “I am confident we can achieve an ambitious reform programme,” continued Dr Irani. “And as an encouraging sign, I am pleased to note the IWF Executive Board has decided to extend our agreement with the International Testing Agency for the whole of the next Olympic cycle, until 2024. This will enable us to continue the successful cooperation by which the ITA has managed the IWF's robust anti-doping activity, in a way that is independent from us as the sport’s governing

Statement of the IWF Executive Board October 14, 2020

Following the IOC Executive Board meeting and IOC President's expressing strong concerns, especially the progress regarding the Governance and Constitutional changes, the IWF Executive Board at its recent emergency meeting of 13 October thoroughly discussed the situation, focusing on the issues raised by the IOC as well as some of the recommendations detailed in the independent investigation led my Professor Richard McLaren. The IWF EB is firmly committed to further progress on all fronts and decided the following immediate actions in order to demonstrate its determination and deliver governance reforms, including appointments of independent advisers. 1          Approved the independent members of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission 2          Approved the independent members of the Reform and Governance Commission In both Commissions we have members who are independent experts and professional persons. Having concluded the appointment process and the elaboration of their Terms of Reference, both Commissions are to start their activity immediately. One of the key focus of the Reform and Governance Commission is to modernise and strengthen the IWF Constitution and By-Laws applying good governance principles ahead of the IWF elections in March 2021. The strong concerns of the IOC regarding the governance reforms, and the perceived lack of progress, are also the immediate concern of the EB. During the meeting the EB decided to revoke the appointment of Ursula Papandrea as Acting Interim President. The EB thanks Ms. Papandrea for her contribution in the last few months and counts on her continued support as Vice President. According to the IWF Constitution & By-Laws, By-Law to 4.2.1.1, point 14, the 1st Vice President automatically fulfils the President's functions in case of vacancy. Consequently, Major General Intarat Yodbangtoey chaired the meeting and in order to speed up the governance reforms, he will call the IWF Constitution Reform and Electoral Congress for the end of March 2021 immediately. The IWF Executive Board will meet again in a very short time to consider the position of Interim President. The EB also selected Mr. Sam Coffa (AUS) as EB member to fill the vacancy on the Executive Board. Regarding the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualification System, the EB confirmed its commitment to the original principles of the Qualification System, including the eligibility criteria and strong Anti-Doping elements praised by the IOC. These must be maintained. However, discussions will be opened with the IOC to find solutions to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, the cancellation of Qualification Events and the possibility that competitions might not restart or be held in full before the end of the Qualification

IWF Commits To Further Progress in Governance and Anti-Doping

The IWF acknowledges IOC President Thomas Bach’s comments and the statement issued on behalf of the IOC Executive Board and has pledged further progress in both anti-doping work and governance reform. On anti-doping, the IOC stressed two key points. The first is the maintenance of a link between IWF quota places available per National Olympic Committee (NOC) for Tokyo 2020 and the history of weightlifting doping offences linked to that NOC. The second point was the independence of anti-doping processes for weightlifting, ensured by a continuation of the comprehensive outsourcing of anti-doping work to the International Testing Agency (ITA) and the transfer of the disciplinary process to the Anti-Doping Division (ADD) of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) “The IWF is already a leader in terms of the independence shown by our anti-doping work. The most recent demonstration of this came only last week, with the establishment of a new Anti-Doping Commission based on independent members recommended and vetted by the ITA,” said IWF Interim President Ursula Papandrea. “We have enjoyed a successful working relationship with the ITA and fully intend to continue that relationship into 2021 and beyond. And as expressed to the IOC in June, we signed an agreement with the CAS ADD on April 22, delegating our first-instance authority to adjudicate alleged anti-doping rule violations and any sanctions. As for the Olympic Qualifying System for weightlifting, its unique mechanism for promoting clean sport drew public praise from the IOC when it was agreed between us. The mechanism will be maintained.” In terms of governance reform, the IOC reiterated the need for athlete representation within all appropriate IWF committees and commissions. The IOC also reiterated the need for progress on a new constitution for the IWF, developed with the help of independent input. “We are lucky to have a freshly-appointed group of leading athletes that have now joined the IWF’s Athletes Commission and they are already attending our Executive Board meetings. I have no doubt that they will soon be helping further guide our decision-making by joining other commissions,” continued Papandrea. “As for constitutional reform, progress on a new Reform and Governance Commission and the inclusion of a replacement set of independents could certainly be quicker and more comprehensive. I am confident that with IOC Executive Board pointing the way, this progress can now be delivered.” With the IOC Executive Board due to decide quota places and events for Paris 2024 at its forthcoming December meeting, the IOC has made it clear that quota places, events and even weightlifting’s place on the Olympic Programme itself will depend on progress. “The ongoing doping among weightlifters revealed by the IOC’s retesting of Beijing 2008 and London 2012 samples led to 56 fewer places for weightlifters in Tokyo 2020 compared to Rio 2016, with one medal event fewer,” continued Papandrea. “I am under no illusions about the likely impact of any failure to act promptly on the IOC’s latest call to

IWF Follows Up On Moscow LIMS Data: Six Sanctions are Imposed and Three more Anti-Doping Rule Violations Asserted against Russian Athletes

In October 2017, a whistle-blower provided a copy of the LIMS from the years 2011-15 to the WADA Intelligence and Investigations Department (“WADA I&I). Subsequent investigations involved access to the Moscow Laboratory being granted to WADA I&I, which took forensic copies of the Laboratory Information Management System (“LIMS”) and underlying data. Following these investigations, the International Testing Agency (“ITA”), on behalf of the IWF, brought forward twelve cases against Russian athletes in 2019 and two additional cases earlier this year. After thorough disciplinary proceedings before the IWF Hearing Panel,  the IWF can now confirm that six Russian athletes were found to have committed anti-doping rule violations (https://www.iwf.net/anti-doping/sanctions/) and have been banned accordingly  based on the data contained in the LIMS and other corroborative evidence. The other eight cases are currently pending either before the IWF Hearing Panel or at various stages of results management. Furthermore, based in particular on the above-mentioned analytical data, the IWF has decided to assert anti-doping rule violations (https://www.iwf.net/2020/10/08/public-disclosure-182/) against three further Russian athletes. The latter are provisionally suspended. The cases are handled by the ITA on behalf of the IWF. WADA I&I’s investigations were instrumental in building cases, which resulted in the athletes being charged with anti-doping rule violations. “The IWF is grateful to WADA I&I, to the ITA, external Legal Counsel and to our staff for their diligence in efficiently prosecuting these athletes for their anti-doping rule violations,” said IWF Interim President Ursula Papandrea. “The decisions are proof that the anti-doping system has become significantly stronger in recent years, notably thanks to WADA’s powers to investigate. The IWF will continue to play its part alongside the ITA and others in doing all it can to protect clean weightlifters and promote clean