News

New WADA Prohibited List enforced since January 1, 2026

The IWF would like to kindly remind its National Member Federations that the new WADA’s 2026 Prohibited List (for Substances and Methods) is in force since January 1, 2026. This List designates which substances and methods are prohibited both in- and out-of-competition and which substances are banned in particular sports.  Moreover, the 2026 Monitoring Program is also enforced from the beginning of this year. It includes substances that are not on the List, but that WADA wishes to monitor in order to detect potential patterns of misuse in sport.    Comparing the former version of these documents and the 2026 updated ones, the major changes are: Further examples or clarifications have been added to the following substance classes to help athletes and their entourage better identify prohibited substances:    S1. Anabolic agents,  S2. Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics,    S4. Hormone and metabolic modulators, and  S6. Stimulants.     The dosing intervals of salmeterol have been changed to avoid potential ergogenic effects, though the maximum daily delivered dose remains the same.  More details have been given about the prohibition of withdrawal of blood and blood components.  The non-diagnostic use of carbon monoxide (CO) has been added to the Prohibited Methods as a new section, M1.4. The use of carbon monoxide for diagnostic purposes, such as total hemoglobin mass measurements or the determination of pulmonary diffusion capacity, is not prohibited.   Cell components (e.g., nuclei and organelles such as mitochondria and ribosomes) have been added to the existing prohibition of using normal or genetically modified cells.  It has been clarified in the Glucocorticoids Washout Table that use of sustained-release formulations may result in detectable glucocorticoid levels past the washout period due to prolonged systemic absorption.  In order to better implement these rules, WADA has also important educational tools, namely available for Athletes and respective support personnel (ASP). Each year, WADA develops the Athlete and ASP Guide to the List, which is geared towards informing athletes and ASP of the specific changes they will need to onboard for the coming year. The Athlete and ASP Guide to the 2026 List can be accessed as an e-learning course on ADEL, or for anyone who benefits from a different format, a PDF copy of the course is also available.  RELEVANT DOCUMENTS/LINKS: 2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods  2026 Monitoring Program 2026 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes Athlete and ASP Guide to the 2026 List as an e-learning course on ADEL Athlete and ASP Guide to the 2026 List as a pdf course

IWF President New Year’s Message

Dear Members of the global weightlifting community, As we close an extraordinary year for our sport, I am delighted to reflect on 2025 - a historic year for the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). This year we celebrated 120 years of the IWF, a remarkable milestone since our foundation on 10 June 10, 1905, in Duisburg, Germany. What began as a body to establish rules and organise competitions has grown into a global platform inspiring millions of athletes and fans worldwide. Importantly, earlier this year we held our electoral Congress, reaffirming our commitment to serve our athletes and National Federations and to protect their interests as we continue to grow our sport together. One of the highlights of the year was the IWF World Championships in Førde, Norway, where nearly 500 athletes from 87 nations competed and set 40 new world records. The event showcased the heart of our sport: courage and unity. From Solfrid Koanda lifting her way to a world title on home soil, to Jon Mau, returning to competition after chemotherapy, and athletes from emerging nations showing remarkable progress, the World Championships captured the very best of weightlifting. The local community, volunteers and His Majesty King Harald V of Norway ensured the event’s success and created an unforgettable atmosphere for all. Weightlifting’s influence continues to grow globally. This year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved additional bodyweight categories for LA 2028 and we were confirmed in the core sports programme of the Centenary 2030 Commonwealth Games reflecting the sport’s ongoing development and recognition. Collaborations such as the weightlifting activation campaign in Manama, Bahrain, during the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Final, brought the sport to new audiences and highlighted its appeal across regions and other sports. Beyond competitions, we strengthened the foundations of our Federation. The IWF/ITA Clean Sport Education seminars gathered over 320 participants from five continents, reinforcing our commitment to fair play. Our Board made key decisions on the IWF By-laws, International Coaching Licence programme, long-term partnerships and upcoming events, including preparations for the IWF World Championships in Ningbo, China, in 2026. The IOC has also had an important year, and we have greatly enjoyed working with the new President, Kirsty Coventry, and engaging with other members of the Olympic Movement. Initiatives like “Fit for the Future” help us promote Olympic values around the world and we look forward to continuing our support in this area. Looking ahead, the future of weightlifting is bright. In 2026, in addition to our Senior, Junior and Youth World Championships, we will see exciting championships across our continental confederations, and continued collaboration across the Olympic Movement as we prepare for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. We will continue to work hard to create opportunities for participation, inspiring communities and uniting people through the power of our sport, whether that is competitively or recreationally. To every athlete, coach, official, fan, partner and stakeholder who has contributed to the success of weightlifting in 2025: THANK YOU! I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2026. Mohammed JaloodIWF

Season’s Greetings!

Please be informed that the IWF office will be closed from December 22, 2025 (Monday) to January 2, 2026 (Friday). For urgent matters, please don’t hesitate to email your direct contact within the IWF staff. Wishing you all very happy festivities and a successful and prosperous New Year of

SEA Games: World records for world champions Wichuma and Rizki – and hosts Thailand take nine golds

Rizki Juniansyah from Indonesia was in world record form as he claimed another major victory to add to the Olympic gold and world title he has won in the past 18 months. Rizki won at the South East Asian Games in Chonburi, Thailand, where a high-quality competition featured six world records — five senior and one junior. Thailand dominated over five days of weightlifting in the multi-sport Games, which end on Saturday. The host nation had nine winners, two of whom – world champion Weeraphon Wichuma at 71kg and Theeraphon Silachai at 60kg – set world records. Both men were silver medallists at the Paris Olympic Games. Rizki Juniansyah (INA) Five of the seven women’s events were won by Thailand, which also took five silver or bronze medals. Indonesia won three golds, and Vietnam and the Philippines had one each. The star performer for the Philippines was a silver medallist, Albert Delos Santos, who bettered his own clean and jerk junior world record in finishing second to Wichuma. Delos Santos was named “the future of Philippines weightlifting” by his team-mate Hidilyn Diaz, the 2020 Olympic champion who competed for the first time in nearly two years but finished out of the medals. Diaz, 34, said she was not retiring yet. Weeraphon Wichuma (THA) Rizki, like Wichuma, broke world records in clean and jerk and total. With his final attempt he bettered his own clean and jerk mark by 1kg, finishing 160-205-365. That was 3kg better than the total world record set by Abdelrahman ‘Abdo’ Younes from Egypt at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia last month. “I wanted to break the snatch record (166kg) but my coach wouldn't let me do it,” Rizki said. “So I decided to just land at 160 kg in the snatch so I could relax a bit in the clean and jerk.” Theeraphon Silachai (THA) He seemed untroubled in making his 160kg snatch, and also looked more comfortable in clean and jerk than he had done when winning the world title in Norway in early October. Rizki’s team-mate Rahmat Erwin bulked up to 80.61kg, his heaviest ever, but was still more than 7kg light in the 88kg category. Rahmat won on 160-202-362 and said he was trying to be less stressed in future, having suffered badly when he was knocked out of Paris 2024 by Rizki in the final qualifier. “I can be more calm, enjoy it, and just relax,” he said. “I don't want to worry too much or be overwhelmed.” Asked about weight classes for himself and Rizki next year, when qualifying for Los Angeles 2028 begins, Rahmat said, “We don't know what it'll be like yet, or which class we'll be in. We'll see.” Wichuma has won Olympic silver, a world title and now SEA Games gold in his past three competitions. He made 151-196-347 at 71kg, which was 1kg more than his World Championships total in Forde, Norway in October. His 196kg was the 12th world record at this weight since July. Albert Delos Santos (PHI) Delos Santos made 138-186-324 in second place. After seeing his team-mates Rosegie Ramos, Jhodie Peralta and Diaz all fail to win a medal in the three lightest women’s events, he became the first Philipppines medallist. “I wanted to lift the team some way or another,” he said. “I’m not doing this for myself, I want to do this for them. I love my team.” Silachai was second in Paris and Forde, and won in Chonburi on 131-173-304. By contrast with the 71kg category, his clean and jerk was the first world record at 60kg, where the world standard on total is 307kg. Surodchana Khambao (THA) Thailand’s other male winners were Patsaphong Thongsuk at 65kg on 307kg, and Sarat Sumpradit at 94kg on 366kg. Vietnam won the men’s super-heavyweights when Dinh Thang Tran made 366kg. The women’s champions from Thailand were the Paris bronze medallist Surodchana Khambao at 53kg on 204kg, Suratwadee Yodsarn at 58kg on 224kg, Phattharathida Wongsing at 69kg on 229kg, Chalida Taingdee at 77kg on 214kg, and the super-heavyweight Duangaksorn Chaidee on 258kg. Elreen Ando won on 229kg for the Philippines at 63kg, while the home favourite Thanaporn Saetia made only two good lifts and finished third. Luluk Wijayana from Indonesia also got the better of a leading Thai lifter when she totalled 184kg to win at 48kg ahead of Thanyathon Sukcharoen, who failed with her final attempt at 102kg. Elreen Ando (PHI) Rizki, Wichuma and Silachai led the individual men’s rankings in that order. The top female performer was Yodsarn, whose 224kg was a career best, followed by the 58kg silver medallist Natasya Beteyob from Indonesia, who totalled 218kg, then Khambao. By Brian

Malta hosts successful EU Cup and International Junior Open Championships

The Malta Weightlifting Association successfully hosted, 5-7 December 2025, the European Union Cup and the Malta International Junior Open Championship at the newly inaugurated facility within the Marsa Sports Complex. These twin events brought together athletes from 21 countries, competing across three age categories, Under 15, Under 17, and Under 20 - for both boys and girls. As part of the programme, a technical seminar for athletes, coaches, and officials was held in Sliema, led by Dr. Milan Mihajlovic. Three national officials who also attended, successfully passed later their examinations to become International Technical Officials. The opening ceremony was inaugurated by Charles Camenzuli, President of AIPS Europe, who spoke about the growth and development of weightlifting in Malta over the years. Additional remarks were delivered by EWF General Secretary, who highlighted the importance of these competitions, commended the professionalism of the organisers, and expressed hope that Malta may soon host the European Youth Championships. Jesmond Caruana, President of the Malta Weightlifting Association and the European Union Weightlifting Confederation, thanked all participating countries for their commitment and emphasised that the success of the event was made possible by a dedicated team of volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure exceptional hospitality and smooth operations. Dr. Astrit Hasani, President of the European Weightlifting Federation, praised the Malta Weightlifting Association, noting his admiration for how such a small federation could deliver an event of such high organisational quality and attention to detail. The competition saw outstanding individual and team performances. France claimed the title of Best Team in the EU Cup, while Israel emerged victorious in the Malta International Junior Open. The European Weightlifting Federation extends its sincere appreciation and congratulates the Malta Weightlifting Federation and Mr. Jesmond Car uana for organising another high-level weightlifting event. Source:

Forrester Osei at the WADA Conference: “Education remains central to this process”

An important IWF delegation was this week in Busan (KOR) for the sixth WADA Conference, the most important gathering of the World Anti-Doping Agency and its stakeholders. Our International Federation was represented by President Mohammed Jalood, General Secretary José Quiñones, and Athletes Commission Chair Forrester Osei. On behalf of the IWF, Mr Osei was invited to make a short presentation at the Conference, in which he highlighted the progress and intense work our International Federation is doing in the fight against doping. From left to right: Forrester Osei (IWF Athletes Commission Chair), Mohammed Jalood (IWF President), and José Quiñones (IWF General Secretary)  “Over the past few years, we have worked hard to rebuild trust, strengthen integrity, and place athletes at the centre of everything we do. These changes were not only necessary - but they were also essential for the future of our sport and for our continued presence on the Olympic programme. Our reforms have been guided by one clear principle: full alignment with the World Anti-Doping Code and its International Standards,” considered the IWF Athletes Commission Chair. Mr Osei also recalled the importance of the partnership with the International Testing Agency (ITA): “In pursuit of this, the IWF has delegated its entire anti-doping program to the ITA, ensuring the independence, professionalism, and transparency of all testing and results management activities.” Mr Jalood and Mr Quiñones in front of a poster displaying Cyrille Tchatchet, IWF Athletes Commission Member and WADA Athletes Council Member He concluded by saying that education should continue being the main pillar of this strategy: “Education remains central to this process. In cooperation with WADA, the International Testing Agency, and our National Federations, we have developed a comprehensive Education Strategy that focuses not only on compliance, but on values. Our aim is to empower athletes to make informed choices, to understand their rights and responsibilities, and to become advocates for clean sport within their own communities. These reforms have yielded measurable progress: stronger testing programs, greater transparency in results management, and growing confidence among athletes who value a level playing field.” Mr Quiñones and Mr Osei with Mr Kofi Adams (Minister of Sports and Recreation of the Republic of Ghana) At the end of the Conference, held from December 1-5, the WADA President Witold Banka emphasised the positive outcomes of the gathering, namely the approval of the revised World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards, to be enforced from 2027. “Today’s approval of the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards is the culmination of years of collaborative work and tireless effort from the entire anti-doping and sporting communities. The revised Code and Standards prioritise the human rights of athletes, especially minors and other protected persons. They also increase the responsibilities of the entourage and of Anti-Doping Organisations,” said Mr