News

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

IWF Online Youth World Cup

The International Weightlifting Federation together with the Peruvian Weightlifting Federation is inviting all IWF Member Federations for the first world online weightlifting competition. The Event is specifically organized for the Youth Category Athletes and aims to provide a competition opportunity as the IWF Youth World Championships was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual competition will be held between 11th and 18th November 2020 The Federations can register Youth Athletes to the competition until 11 October 2020 via IWF E-ENTRY SYSTEM. All Member Federations are invited to enter a maximum of TEN (10) MEN and TEN (10) WOMEN athletes; ONE (1) per Bodyweight Category. Please find the INVITATION LETTER and COMPETITION REGULATIONS here to find out further information on the virtual

Applied Sport Psychology in Weightlifting for Coaches

IWF invites everyone to new webinar opportunity titled 'Applied Sport Psychology in Weightlifting for Coaches' on 8th October 2020 at 7PM (CET). The online seminar will be opened by Mr. Kamal Mahmoud Mahgoub IWF Executive Board Member and Chairman of the IWF Coaching and Research Committee. Following the opening, two experts Dr. Kyle Pierce (USA) and Dr. Tshepang Tshube (BOT) will talk about Sport Psychology focusing on the African region. In this seminar on Sport Psychology, the focus will be on what methods weightlifting coaches can use to help enhance the well-being and performance of the athletes they work with. Goals, positive self-talk, mental imagery, concentration, and managing anxiety are among the methods to be discussed. The webinar will be held via Zoom and everyone can register to it on the following link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/9016015460077/WN_5PkDWFw5SCSgCLXLVNeIrw A stream will be provided as well on the IWF YouTube

LEADERSHIP CHANGES AT THE INTERNATIONAL WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION

By mutual consent, the IWF Director General Attila Adamfi is moving on from the Federation after 25 years of service. After starting as a volunteer at key IWF events, Mr Adamfi began working for the Federation full time in 2001 as Competition Director, becoming Director General in 2014. As part of his remit, Mr Adamfi led the delivery of weightlifting competitions for seven Olympic Games (including preparations for the forthcoming Tokyo 2020) and three Youth Olympic Games. He also managed the successful creation, operations, activities and deliverables of the Sport Programme Commission and independent Clean Sport Commission, whose work was pivotal in the IOC Executive Board’s decision to confirm weightlifting’s place on the programme for Paris 2024. Mr Adamfi also played a key role in establishing gender-balanced bodyweight categories, delivering renewed bidding and hosting processes, and delivering IWF World Championships and other multisport events. “I am proud to have had the chance to lead the IWF's operations as its Director General, including the success of weightlifting at Olympic and Multisport Games.” said Mr Adamfi. “Ensuring the sport's future, including developing an innovative Qualification System – which won the IOC President’s praise - was my most significant achievement. As one of my latest projects, I enjoyed being part of the first ever real online international event, the 'Panam Cup Live by ZKC', engaging the weightlifting community by providing safe competition opportunity for our most important stakeholders, the athletes. Having had the chance to make weightlifting be a central part of most of my professional life, I am looking forward to putting my transferable skills and experience at the service of new opportunities in sport.” A new position at the IWF of Chief Executive Officer has been established and will be advertised. Further restructuring and governance changes are also underway. An Electoral Congress expected in March 2021 will see elections for the IWF President, General Secretary, Vice Presidents, Executive Board and Committee member positions. “The IWF is grateful to Mr Adamfi for a quarter century of dedicated service to our sport and in particular for his key role in resolving the IOC’s concerns from 2017 to 2019,” said IWF Interim President Ursula Papandrea. "He crossed boundaries working with the Commissions and presenting their recommendations to the Executive Board understanding the needs of the weightlifting community. His role was pivotal in getting the Board not just to agree but to carry through on the