News

Adrian Zielinski (POL): A very special motivation

A year ago in Antalya young Polish lifter Adrian Zielinski (22) reached the top of his category after a memorable fight with Aleksey Yufkin (RUS) and Siarhei Lahun † (BLR). This year he is ready to defend his world champion title supported by special motivation as well. The 85 kg category competition is scheduled on 11th November, the Day of Independence in Poland (Święto Niepodległości). After 123 years interruption Poland became independent in 1918. "Who needs stronger motivation than presenting the national anthem to Poland?" - Zielinski explained his hard training

IWF PRESS CONFERENCE – RECORDS ALREADY BROKEN Video with the IWF President

Dr. Tamas Ajan IWF President announced 715 lifters out of 101 countries will participate in Paris at the Olympic Qualification World Championships. 265 women from 65 countries will compete on stage at Disneyland for the 22nd edition for Women World Championships. In Antalya we had 203 lifters of 50 countries. The previous records are 231 athletes of 53 countries. Among men there are 450 lifters to compete representing 92 nations. These numbers tower above previous records: 395 athletes of 79 countries (in Antalya there were 312 lifters from 63 countries). Attila Adamfi IWF Competiton Director said the most popular categories are women 53 kg (51 participants), men 94 kg (63 participants). Out of the 15 Antalya World Champions there are 8 lifters to defend their titles. Jean Paul Bulgaridhes President of the World Championships Organizing Committee and French Weightlifting Federation told it is the fifth time for France to host world championships (1937, 1946, 1950 Paris, 1981 Lille). "The motto of our work is to approach excellence. We must prepare the best possible conditions for the lifters to fight for their Olympic participation as Paris WWC is the second main Qualification Event for the London Olympic Games. I hope they will enjoy the circumstances we guarantee at Disneyland. There was no sense orgaznizing this event in Bercy as weightlifting is not similar size like judo or tennis in France. We open the nine competiton-day World Championships on 4th November. We expect 1200 participants to enjoy this great event in our Dome of 1400 visitors' capacity. "Originality and Magic" are the catchwords of the 2011 World Championships. This is the first time we organize a sport event at Disneyland. Their staff is very enthusiastic about the championship and as far as I think many other sport federations will follow us to cooperate with them" - he said. Anikó Németh Móra, Director of IWF explained all the WWC facilities will be provided in one compact venue: the hotels for all participants, the competition venue, meetings and training hall are all within a small circle at the Disneyland Village. The 2011 WWC is easily accessible: 30 minutes from Paris by car (32 km) or by local train (RER). She announced the World Championships starts with IWF Meetings and Congress: 2-4 November

2011/2 Edition of World Weightlifting is out

The 2011/2 edition contains a full preview of the upcoming main qualification event in Paris. Moreover, it also includes the summary of the Junior World Championships held in Penang, Malaysia and a report on Universiade organized in Shenzen, China. Exclusive interviews are published with world famous lifters as Alexandr Kurlovich, Zygmunt Smalcerz and Marcus

Nazik Avdalyan (ARM) will be back to sports in two years

Nazik Avdalyan (ARM), European and World Champion will be back to sports in two years after a car accident and lumbar surgery. "After the rehabilitation process we will consult with the doctors and find out when I can start practicing. I am sorry that I cannot participate in the World Championship and Olympic Games but I am happy for the chance to come back to sports. I have missed it a lot," she told a press conference in Yerevan. As for now, the sportswoman studies law and is busy with the construction of her own sports school. She confessed that she has always dreamt that weightlifters had a separate training hall. "I wish to see women's weightlifting develop in Armenia and I want to help young sportswomen," Ms. Avdalyan said. Avdalyan got in a car accident on Yerevan-Gyumri motorway in April. She had a lumbar injury and comminuted fracture of the first

National Sports Festival in Goyang – a Tune-up for London Olympics

The weeklong 92nd National Sports Festival was held in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea featuring 17,983 athletes ranging from promising new talents to Olympic gold medalists like weightlifter Jang Mi-ran. Ms. Mi-ran, who was due to compete at the World Weightlifting Championships next month in Paris, will not be able to perform because of a pelvis

Mexican President opened 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara

The Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, declared open in Omnilife Stadium the Guadalajara Pan-Am Games, which will take place until October 30."I solemnly declare inaugurated the XVI Pan-Am Games," said Calderon under the enthusiastic eye of the 49,000 spectators present in the Stadium. Calderon proclaimed his "certainty" that the Games symbolize the "union of fraternity, piece, and prosperity" among the American nations. Weightlifting competition starts on 23 October with 125 athletes (69 men and 56 women). The organization of the quadrennial event, which draw 6,000 athletes from 42 nations in the Americas, is sure to come under intense scrutiny as Mexico plays host to its first major event since the 1986 World Cup, and first big multi-sport competition since the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. The games offer direct qualification in a dozen sports to next year's Olympics. The Netherlands Antilles will have 11 athletes competing under the flag of the Pan American Sports Organization because the International Olympic Committee no longer recognizes it as an independent country. Next year, athletes from the islands located off the northeast coast of South America will compete under the IOC flag in London.