News

Weightlifting’s Olympic Status Confirmed!

Good news: In Singapore, at the IOC Session, the Members of the International Olympic Committee voted confidence to the sport of weightlifting to remain on the program of the Olympic Games in 2012, which will be held in London. This must be considered as a big success for our sport, when some others lost their Olympic

IWF Media Scholarship Program 2005

In order to increase the popularity of weightlifting worldwide, the International Weightlifting Federation announces the IWF Media Scholarship Program 2005. Who can be a candidate to the Scholarship? Any journalist under the age of 35 years working in the writing press (daily or weekly papers, news agencies, Internet) with a great interest in weightlifting and wishing to attend and cover the 2005 Centennial Weightlifting World Championships in Doha, Qatar as a journalist. Candidates are welcome from any country of the world. What the candidate has to do to apply for the Scholarship? • Send a detailed Curriculum Vitae to the International Weightlifting Federation. In the CV indicate (in addition to personal details): Number of years as a journalist List or reference list of publications, articles published in the field of weightliftingMajor weightlifting events covered (Olympic Games, World or Continental Championships, Continental or other Games)• Attach a photo• The deadline for the applications is 31 August 2005. Further criteriaCandidates born after 1 January 1970 may send applications.Applicants must have a suitable command of the English language. Allocation of the ScholarshipA Panel consisting of Dr. Tamás Aján IWF President, Anikó Németh-Móra, IWF Director, and Gábor Lantos, IWF Spokesman will decide about the allocation of the Scholarship. IWF Media Scholarships will be allocated to 3 (Three) journalists. The 3 winners may take part in the IWF Centennial World Championship in Doha, Qatar 2005. During the 2005 World Championships (competition days + 3 days) the winners will receive free accomodation and full board (in the World Championship’s official media hotel) paid by the IWF. Assistance to Entry visa to Qatar will be provided. The travel costs to and from Doha must be paid by the Scholarship holders! Winners will be officially accredited to the World Championships. During the 2005 World Championships, the winners will be assigned to different tasks. They will have to take part in the medal-winners’ press conferences, after each competition. They will have to make interviews with the people chosen by IWF. These interviews will be published on the website during the World Championship. They will have to write a summary for the World Weightlifting magazine published after the World Championship. Applications to be forwarded by e-mail or by post to: E-mail address: mailto:[email protected] to: [email protected] Address: IWF – 1374 Budapest, Pf. 614 – HUNGARY. In the subject of the e-mail, or on the envelope please write: ”IWF Media Scholarship Program 2005”. Best regards to all candidates, Dr. Aján Tamás IWF President Gábor LantosIWF

Olympic Champions at the Junior Worlds

Korea?s second-largest city, Busan was the host of the 11th Women?s and 31st Men?s Junior World Championships in May 2005.Since the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, this was the first world-wide rendezvous in the sport of weightlifting held in Korea. The standard of the organisation was worthy of the best Korean traditions and matching the top level of Asian weightlifting.The juniors? meet was at the same time a premiere: the first major event held under the new 1-kilo rule. Already the first bodyweight category?s competition proved the International Weightlifting Federation?s decision right. The new progression of the barbell?s weight opened new dimensions in the tactical game and decided, in more than one case, the ranking between the contestants. The Championships produced the first world records under the new rules. In the women?s field, Chinese Liu Chunhong (75 kg) set up a new senior and junior world record total with 273 kg. Her 151kg in clean and jerk was also registered as a junior world record. Among the men, Ilya Ilin from Kazakhstan lifted the first new junior world records: 206 kg in jerk, 374 kg in total. Liu CHUNHONG, CHN set the first women's world records - both Junior and Senior - under the new 1-kilo rule In previous years, many of the Junior World Championship participants later turned into Olympic Champions. It happened, however, for the first time, that two weightlifters who already boasted Olympic gold medals came to participate in the Junior Worlds. Two winners from Athens, Liu Chunhong (CHN) and Taner Sagir (TUR) highlighted the Busan event and performed at an Olympic level. Liu Chunhong scored an overwhelming victory, while the Turkish Olympic Champion ? with no great effort ? won in a close fight, yet proving his supremacy. Taner SAGIR, TUR catered for high quality in the 77kg The most surprising winners were:? Shoko Sumida in the 48 kg women ? with her, Japan won its first junior world champion title;? First ever women?s medal for Albania by Fetie Kasaj ? in 53 kg, a silver medal;? and for Kazakhstan ? Irina Vlassova ? 69 kg, 3 bronze medals, and Alexandra Aborneva - +75 kg, 1 bronze medal. The team classification was also very interesting: Men ? CHN, KOR, RUS; Women ? RUS, KOR and JPN ? with China ranked only fourth.Forty per cent of the participating athletes were submitted to anti-doping controls? some more than once during the

IWF Athletes’ Commission named

Following the guidelines of the IOC and its own policy to involve the athletes into its concepts and decision-making processes, the IWF has renewed and reinforced the IWF Athletes’ Commission as follows: Chairman: Pyrros DIMAS (GRE)Members:Stefan BOTEV (BUL)Maria CHRISTOFORIDI (GRE)Mária TAKÁCS (HUN)Marc HUSTER (GER)Marcus STEPHEN (NRU) Chairman Pyrros Dimas (3-times Olympic Champion) is representing the weightlifting athletes at the International Athletes’ Forum hosted by the IOC in Lausanne on 9-10 June

IWF Athletes’ Commission named

Following the guidelines of the IOC and its own policy to involve the athletes into its concepts and decision-making processes, the IWF has renewed and reinforced the IWF Athletes’ Commission as follows: Chairman: Pyrros DIMAS (GRE)Members:Stefan BOTEV (BUL)Maria CHRISTOFORIDI (GRE)Mária TAKÁCS (HUN)Marc HUSTER (GER)Marcus STEPHEN (NRU) Chairman Pyrros Dimas (3-times Olympic Champion) is representing the weightlifting athletes at the International Athletes’ Forum hosted by the IOC in Lausanne on 9-10 June

Successful debut of the “1-kilo rule”

The junior athletes taking part in the first competition of the Busan Junior World Championships, the 56kg category very well exploited the possibilities provided by the new 1-kilo rule in force since 1st May 2005. At what was the first major test of the new choice for the weight of the barbell, the participants quickly adapted to the system, which enhanced the excitement in the