News

Registration open to 2018 FISU University Worlds

In 2018, 20-23 September, one of Poland's famous University cities, Biala Podlaska will host the 6th FISU World University Weightlifting Championships in a very pleasant and friendly environment. All countries are encouraged to send their teams to the event. Here is the link to the 2018 WUC: http://wucw2018.awf-bp.edu.pl/en/ IWF Member Federations may register their entries through the respective National University Sport Federations: https://accreditation.fisu.net/Pages/Home.aspx

Nicu Vlad: Romania is proud to host the European Championships in the Centennial year

Bucharest, March 6 /Agerpres / - President of the Romanian Weightlifting Federation (FRH) and Vice President of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Nicu Vlad told AGERPRES on Tuesday that he is proud that his Federation will host the European Senior Championships in the year Romania celebrates its Greater Union Centennial. 'Romania hosted twice the European Championships in 1972 and 2009, and now we have this opportunity again. We did not expect to succeed, but because Albania could not host it, we offered to host it ourselves. I wanted so much to bring this competition to Romania, and I managed even if there were other countries like Sweden and Georgia. Yesterday we officially received the papers from the European Weightlifting Federation and we got to work. It's late; there is a ton to do, but we are very proud to organise the European Championships in the year of the Centennial,' said Vlad. He added that Romania will have an important international coverage because of this competition. 'The European Championships will be broadcasted on several continents; Eurosport alone will have 36 live hours, plus replays. Thus, Romania will benefit from a great international coverage in the year that marks the centennial of its Greater Union,' he said. Source:

IWF reinforces commitment to developing women’s weightlifting on International Women’s Day

The IWF today reiterated its commitment to developing women’s weightlifting around the world and ensuring equal opportunities for men and women to take part in the sport. Women’s weightlifting has grown significantly in recent years with more women than ever taking part in last year’s World Weightlifting Championships. This growth has reflected the ongoing efforts of the IWF to support National Federations in developing women’s weightlifting in their respective countries. This week, IWF Vice President and  USA Weightlifting (USAW) Chair Ursula Garza Papandrea has been in Ahvaz, Iran to lead a training camp for female Iranian weightlifters and support in the development of women’s weightlifting. Weightlifting has traditionally been a men-only event in Iran, but Garza Papandrea’s visit, accompanied by American technical official Sally Van De Water and national champion Derrick Johnson, reflects a significant step for the country. Garza Papandrea has met with Islamic Republic of Iran Weightlifting Federation President Ali Moradi who has spoken of his plans for Iranian women to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Speaking on International Women’s Day, IWF President Tamas Ajan said: “Gender equality is a key priority for the IWF. We want to ensure that there are equal opportunities for men and women to practise our sport from amateur level all the way up to elite. Good progress has been made but there is more work to be done and the IWF is committed to working with our National Federations to achieve gender equality.” At Tokyo 2020, weightlifting will be gender equal with the IWF with seven men’s and seven women’s weight

Get to know the Tokyo 2020 Mascots

AFTER 2,042 ENTRIES, AND A VOTE INVOLVING PUPILS FROM 16,769 SCHOOLS, THE MASCOTS FOR THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020 HAVE BEEN REVEALED. The winning designs were officially unveiled on 28 February 2018 by the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020), after elementary school pupils across Japan and at Japanese schools overseas chose their favourites from a shortlist of three sets of designs. The winning designs came from 43-year-old Ryo Taniguchi, a graphic designer from Fukuoka, in southern Japan. His characters – dark blue for the Olympic Games and cherry blossom pink for the Paralympic Games – strove to combine traditional values with a futuristic looks, encapsulating the “innovation from harmony” concept which is at the heart of the branding vision for Tokyo 2020. “THE CHILDREN SELECTED TWO MASCOTS THAT EMBODY BOTH ANCIENT TRADITION AND NEW INNOVATION.” Ryohei Miyata, CHAIR OF THE MASCOT SELECTION PANEL The Mascot Selection Panel will choose names for the winning mascots in the near future, before they make their official debut in July or August 2018. 205,755 classes at 16,769 schools took part in the vote, with the winning Design Set A receiving 109,041 votes. Design Set B attracted 61,423 votes and Design Set C received 35,291. INNOVATION FROM HARMONY “The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games finally have their mascots,” said Ryohei Miyata, chair of the Mascot Selection Panel. “I cannot wait to see these two characters coming to life in the stadiums, on the streets and on TV. The children selected two mascots that embody both ancient tradition and new innovation. “I believe this is an excellent choice since Tokyo 2020's branding vision is ‘Innovation from harmony’, which implies that innovation will occur when the old and the new of Tokyo and Japan come together.” The results were announced in front of around 600 children at one of the participating schools, Hoyonomori Gakuen School in Tokyo, and was live-streamed to allow children all over the country to share the moment and discover the winner in real time. GET SET FOR THE GAMES The mascot voting process was part of Tokyo 2020’s nationwide educational programme called “Yoi Don!" (“Get Set”), which sets out to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games into schools across Japan and allows students to participate in educational initiatives linked to the Games. By encouraging discussion of the mascots in classes, the voting process helped children learn about the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. The winning mascots will also feature prominently on a new educational website (https://education.tokyo2020.org/) launched by Tokyo 2020 on 28 February, which is targeted specifically at children, students and teaching staff at schools across Japan. Initially in Japanese only (an English language version is due to be launched in March 2018), the site will feature interactive activities for children, including free online English lessons and news about the Tokyo 2020 Games, as well as Olympic and Paralympic educational materials for teachers. The overall aim will be to get schoolchildren involved with the Games, learning more about the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, and participating more in sport. Source:

Qualification List of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

Qualification List of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games The Qualification List for weightlifting events of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games is published! Check it out by the following link. With the exception of Home Nation, athletes have qualified by name in accordance with the GC2018 Weightlifting Athlete Allocation System. The entries listed above are accurate as at 28 February 2018, and subject to operation of the Weightlifting Reallocation Policy where required. Details of selection for Home Nation can be found at CGA Australia Weightlifting. Any changes after the sport entries deadline and prior to the Weightlifting Technical Meeting would only be considered under the CGF Late Athlete Replacement

IWF Intercontinental Commission meets in Astana

Hosted by IWF Vice President Zhanat Tussupbekov, the IWF Intercontinental Commission's meeting took place in the country's capital, Astana. The IC is composed of the Presidents and General Secretaries of the Continental Federations and, last but not least, the President and General Secretary of the IWF. The Astana gathering was also attended by the IWF's 1st Vice President and the Director General. All 5 continents were represented - by President , General Secretary or both - in the 2-day IC meeting, the first one held separately, away from the combustion and tension of World Championships. As participants pointed out, the meeting chaired by IWF President Dr. Tamás Aján provided a unique opportunity and was fruitfully used to discuss issues of common interest, get updates from the IWF on items of particular concern to the Continental Federations. Unity, as key to progress and reinforcing the status of weightlifting on a global scale, was emphasized and, in general opinion, clearly manifest at the meeting. Inserted in the schedule, the IC members were honour guests at the Electoral Congress of the Weightlifting Federation of Kazakhstan, at which President Tussupbekov's mandate was reconfirmed for another 4-year term. Participants also paid a visit to the new, elegant and perfectly outfitted office of the IWF General Secretary, Mohammed Jalood and that was where they concluded their working