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Weightlifting continues to shine at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

The Commonwealth Games Federation confirmed this week the location of the 2026 event in Glasgow, the Scottish city that had already hosted the competition in 2014. At the same time, the sports programme of the Games was presented and Weightlifting is proudly part of it, along with nine other sports. The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games will take place from July 23 to August 2, and will comprise four main venues within a 13km corridor, ensuring the event is easily accessible to spectators and the 3’000 athletes participating in the competition. The Games are open to up 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing 2.5 billion people. The sport of Weightlifting has been part of the programme since 1950, enjoying huge popularity in many of the participating nations in the event. “The entire weightlifting family is very happy to remain as a core sport in the programme of the Commonwealth Games. This shows our important and historic contribution to the event’s success since 1950! In 2026, we will continue demonstrating our value, and all our lifters look forward to competing in Glasgow, a city that will surely host great Games!” considered the IWF President Mohammed Jalood after the announcement of the upcoming edition of the competition. “After this important announcement and positive news, the IWF is ready to work together with the Organisers so that our events can run as smoothly as possible,” also said Mr Jalood. “The Commonwealth Games is an important and truly unique event for our community providing an international opportunity for our home nations, crown dependencies and overseas territories; as celebrated as recently as the last Games at Birmingham 2022 where Emily Campbell (England), Holly O’ Shea (Gibraltar) and Micky Yule (Scotland) were selected as Flag Bearers for their respective Commonwealth Games Associations at the Opening Ceremony,” declared Matthew Curtain, British Weightlifting Federation CEO and member of the IWF Executive Board.

IWF President supports the creation of the Balkan Weightlifting Federation in Albania

The IWF President Mohammed Jalood was this week in Golem, Albania, for the founding Congress of the Balkan Weightlifting Federation. This regional organisation assembles 11 National Federations – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Türkiye – and aims at creating opportunities and competitions for the weightlifting community in this area of Europe. IWF President Mohammed Jalood and delegates at the founding Congress of the Balkan Weightlifting Federation  At the Congress in Golem was also elected the first Executive Board of the organisation, led by Elez Gjoza, President of the Albanian Weightlifting Federation. The other members of the EB are: Nedim Masic (BIH, General Secretary), Talan Unlu (TUR, Vice-President), Irena Mitrovska (MKD, member), Damjan Canzek (SLO, member), and Amar Music (CRO, member). Besides the presence of the IWF President, the leadership of the European Weightlifting Federation was also represented by its President Antonio Conflitti. Locally, the Balkan Weightlifting Federation received the support of the President of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Fidel Ylli. The first Executive Board of the Balkan Weightlifting Federation Elez Gjoza, the President of the new organisation, was naturally satisfied with the outcome of the Congress: “Thank you very much for your trust. I am very happy that, in the end, we were able to organise ourselves and lay the first brick on this ‘construction’. It will be a nice project of development and mutual help.” The headquarters of the Balkan Weightlifting Federation will be located in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Reception in Cerrik - from left to right: Elez Gjoza (Balkan WL and ALB WL Federation President), Andis Salla (Mayor of Cerrik), Mohammed Jalood (IWF President) and Antonio Conflitti (EWF President) After this important milestone, Mr Jalood and the remaining dignitaries visited the village of Cerrik, renowned for its Shtermeni Weightlifting Team, a structure that produced many Albanian champions and brought to the country 93 medals in international competitions. The delegation was welcomed by the mayor of the town Andis Salla, a former weightlifter. IWF President speaking to the local media in Cerrik Impressed by the training facilities he visited, the IWF President expressed his conviction that lifters from Albania will continue shining at the highest level. “Albania has produced many big names in the sport of weightlifting, namely some European and world champions. I am sure the present generation of athletes will preserve this successful tradition,” Mr Jalood said. Source (text and photos):

Antonio Conflitti elected to Moldova’s NOC Executive Board: a premiere for weightlifting in the country!

A premiere for weightlifting in Moldova: for the first time, a representative of the sport was elected to the Executive Board of the country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC). This feat was accomplished by Antonio Conflitti, president of Moldova’s Weightlifting Federation, president of the European Weightlifting Federation and member of the IWF Executive Board. The new Executive Board of Moldova's National Olympic Committee - Mr Antonio Conflitti is on the photo's far right The election took place this Friday, when the Moldovan NOC General Assembly re-conducted Nicolea Juravschi to the organisation's leadership. Mr Conflitti achievement is a reward to the evolution of weightlifting in the country, now represented at the highest level in the country’s NOC. “It is a big honour for me, but most importantly it represents a huge tribute to all lifters in Moldova. They are proudly representing the country at the highest level and getting significant results in major international competitions. While this is very important from an institutional point of view, it will also translate into a bigger motivation to do more and better in the years to come,” considered Mr Conflitti after his

A perfect ‘gift’ for the World Weightlifting Day: the first-ever Weightlifting Museum in the world opens in China

The IWF couldn’t have received a better “gift” on World Weightlifting Day! On October 16, the IWF President Mohammed Jalood was in Shilong Town (Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China) to inaugurate the first-ever museum consecrated to our Sport. Opening of the Museum in Shilong With the local authorities - namely Mr Zhou Jinqiang, Vice-President of the Chinese Olympic Committee and President of China’s Weightlifting Association -, Mr Jalood had the opportunity to visit the facility and congratulate all those responsible for its construction. IWF President Mohammed Jalood and Chinese Weightlifting Association President Zhou Jinqiang “Today it’s a special day for the Weightlifting family in the five continents, as we celebrate the inaugural World Weightlifting Day. This comes exactly one year after the historic decision from the IOC, on October 16, 2023 to confirm the inclusion of our Sport in the programme of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games,” considered the IWF President. “And to culminate these celebrations, I have the pleasure to be here today and to inaugurate the first museum in the world devoted to weightlifting. We couldn’t find a better occasion to do it! It is an amazing concept and structure, which is surely promoting in the best possible way the extraordinary performances and successful tradition of the Chinese athletes,” continued Mr Jalood. After being declared officially open by Mr Zhou, the Museum was then visited by all the dignitaries. “This is a very important tool to preserve the history and heritage of our beautiful Sport. At the same time, it will facilitate additional sports exchanges between China and the rest of the world,” concluded the IWF President. At the Shilong Sports School Soon after this ceremony, Mr Jalood had the occasion to visit the Shilong Sports School and meet all the young lifters training there.    IWF

IWF President praises global weightlifting family on World Weightlifting Day

The IWF President Mohammed Jalood praised weightlifters around the world for their dedication and passion for the sport as the IWF celebrated the inaugural World Weightlifting Day on 16 October. An annual celebration established by the IWF, World Weightlifting Day aims to recognise the efforts and passion of the global weightlifting family. The date holds special significance as the day the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reinstated weightlifting to the Olympic programme and secured its place in the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. IWF President Mohammed Jalood  In a message to the global weightlifting community, IWF President Mohammed Jalood underlined the importance of this symbolic day. “Today’s celebration of the inaugural World Weightlifting Day is a special milestone that marks the beginning of a new tradition for the global weightlifting community,” he said. “I would like to thank our incredible athletes and fans around the world for their outstanding efforts, contributions, and love for our sport. I encourage our global community to use this occasion to celebrate our sport’s rich history as well as the future of weightlifting as we prepare for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.” The 2024 World Weightlifting Day is celebrated a couple of months after a very successful edition of the Paris Olympic Games, where 122 lifters from 58 nations (plus two members of the Olympic Refugee Team) showed to the world the strength and vitality of weightlifting. “The Olympics are just the tip of the iceberg. For every athlete competing at the Games there are thousands of others in the five continents devoting their lives to the sport they love. This is a considerable effort but with the support of our 194 Member National Federations we are definitively defining a winning strategy for the years to come,” the IWF President concluded. Member Federations and fans are encouraged to join in with the celebrations by sharing photos and video content across digital media platforms using the hashtag #WorldWeightliftingDay. IWF

Alberto Miglietta succeeds Antonio Urso at the helm of the Italian Federation

Alberto Miglietta is the new President of the Italian Weightlifting Federation (FIPE), after the electoral assembly held this weekend in Rome (ITA). Mr Miglietta was chosen with 99.68% of favourable votes from the delegates and succeeds Antonio Urso in the leadership of the Italian national body. Mr Urso, also the IWF General Secretary, was at the helm of his country’s Federation since 2005 and had the opportunity to celebrate the successes of the Italian lifters during a show held on the evening preceding the elections. Alberto Miglietta, the new President of the Italian Weightlifting Federation “It is with great satisfaction that I take this task – to represent at the highest level the Italian weightlifting family. In the last months, I have extensively been in contact with this community and I could fine tune my priorities and my project to drive our federation into an even brighter future,” declared Mr Miglietta after his election. “The FIPE has immensely evolved in terms of technical results, but I want to reinforce the work in terms of grassroots and promotion,” also considered the new President. Antonio Urso, FIPE President from 2005 to 2024 Before stepping down from the presidency, Mr Urso was the protagonist of a concert, gathering many of his friends, not only from the sports movement, but also from his professional background in the national police. Notable was the presence of the two Italian IOC members in the ceremony: Giovanni Malagò, President of the Italian Olympic Committee, and Ivo Ferriani. From the IWF sphere, Antonio Conflitti, President of the European Weightlifting Federation and member of the IWF Executive Board, was also among the guests. Nino Pizzolato, bronze medallist at the recent Paris 2024 Olympic Games, joined the celebratory evening as well. Antonio Urso on the stage Himself also a musician (he is the author of the IWF anthem, approved at the beginning of the year), Mr Urso offered this illustrious audience a two-hour show, playing and performing songs that somehow illustrated his trajectory. “I came here to express my recognition, from the bottom of my heart, to a great man, and a leader who did a lot for the Italian sport and of course for Italian weightlifting. But I had no idea that I would also discover a real showman! This is unmatched in the history of our sports leaders! Thank you so much for this amazing performance!” confessed Mr Malagò. Giovanni Malagò, Antonio Urso and Ivo Ferriani, at the end of the two-hour show An emotive Antonio Urso reflected on those 20 years leading the sport in Italy: “In life, what has a beginning has also an end. This is the end of this chapter for me, but what a road it was! I leave the FIPE proud and happy, as I think I brought humanity to this Federation. We care about the athletes, their challenges, their career evolution…” “The most important thing in life is to meet other people and open new horizons and worlds with them. This is what we did for these 20 years. I met a lot of wonderful people and I am so happy to say that with all of them we built really nice projects!” concluded Mr Urso. Antonio Urso and Nino Pizzolato A nice tribute also came from Nino Pizzolato. “Everything we do in life, we must do it with the heart. Only like that can we win. Antonio Urso operated a true revolution in the sport, always working with a convincing team spirit. Alone, even if our sport is an individual one, we cannot succeed – that is the main heritage of the successful 20 years of Antonio Urso in the leadership of our Federation,” considered the Italian star. IWF Communications