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Weightlifting confirmed on the programme of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028

Weightlifting has today been confirmed on the programme of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, following a vote of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai, India.   It comes after the IOC Executive Board and Olympic Programme Commission recommended the sport for inclusion as part of their discussions last week.   Today’s news protects the dreams and ambitions of millions of athletes around the world and provides much needed certainty for all stakeholders of the sport.    It reflects strong progress being made in governance and anti-doping reform under the leadership of the refreshed IWF Executive Board elected in June last year. The IOC Session in Mumbai (IND) Since his appointment, IWF President Mohammed Jalood has prioritised dialogue and action to put weightlifting on the path to a new and stronger future in line with the criteria set out for the sport to remain on the Olympic programme.   Reacting to the vote, President Jalood said: “My first thoughts today are for our global weightlifting community – and especially the athletes – for whom this news will be both a great relief and a cause for rejoicing.   “It is thanks to everyone’s collective efforts that we are here today, and we thank the members of the International Olympic Committee for recognising our unity, commitment to change, and the great strides we are making as a sport.   “Today is a moment for weightlifting to celebrate, but it should not be seen as an end. We must – and will – continue, in line with our strategic priorities, towards a new future for weightlifting as a healthy, modern, and athlete-centred sport.”   IWF President Mohammed Jalood (right) and IWF Secretary General Antonio Urso in Mumbai (IND) Antonio Urso, IWF Secretary General considered: “This is the result of a very hard work and commitment from the IWF family to a change of culture in our sport. The initial shockwave provoked by our exclusion from the Olympic programme in 2028 definitively obliged us to choose a new direction, with a renovated team since June 2022.    “Working united, in a transparent and determined way, we made a massive improvement in two of the domains that needed more attention: good governance and anti-doping policy. Through a constructive and continuous dialogue with the IOC, this shift was duly valued and our beloved Sport is back to the place it deserves, the Olympic arena.    “This is only the first step; we must continue to prove our value, reliability, and accountability in a very competitive sports environment. Our athletes and fans around the world certainly deserve that.”   Ursula Papandrea, IWF First Vice-President, stated: “This is of course the best possible news for the weightlifting family! Our athletes, coaches, and officials devoting their lives to this sport in the five continents deserve this recognition for their passion and hard work. At the level of the IWF management, this is also a fair tribute to the immense transformation our Federation has undergone since the last elections of the Board in June 2022. IWF First Vice-President Ursula Papandrea “Concepts such integrity, good governance, safeguarding, transparency, gender equity, athlete representation, or human rights are now part of the IWF language and practice. This is a fundamental change in the way we operate and govern the sport on a global level. But we must never rest on our laurels: this tireless effort must continue, so that we can remain and reinforce our added value in the Games’ programme in particular, and in the Olympic Movement in general.”   IWF Athletes Commission Chair Forrester Osei Forrester Osei, IWF Athletes Commission Chair, said: “On behalf of all our great athletes, I cannot hide my satisfaction for this unforgettable milestone! The reinstatement of our Sport in the Olympic programme is a solid proof that the IWF is now considered a respected and reliable organisation. Its efforts in keeping the Athletes at the core of its functioning have proved essential in this successful strategy. Reforms allowing the direct election of the Athletes Commission (AC) members by its peers, or the inclusion in the Board and Congress of three AC representatives, with full voting rights, clearly show the IWF’s determination to change the culture of the sport.    “We feel we are heard and we are actively taking part in the decision-making process. Our involvement in the recent establishment of the first-ever IWF Strategic Plan is also evidence that lifters are properly considered at the IWF level. From now on, we sincerely hope that Los Angeles 2028 is only the first stop in a long road of positive achievements for the weightlifting family. In this so happy moment, the role of our President Mohammed Jalood and all colleagues from the IWF Board need to be recognised and duly appreciated”.   Hidilyn Diaz, IWF Athletes Commission member and first-ever Olympic gold medallist for the Philippines, considered: “The Olympic Games is the supreme goal for all the athletes competing in sports. I am in a good position to know the value and importance of taking part in the greatest sports event on the planet! Knowing that weightlifting has been confirmed in the Los Angeles 2028 programme is a great joy for all of us. Our Sport is one of the founding ones in Olympic history, being present already in the first edition of the Games, in 1896. It also symbolises like no other the notion of ‘Fortius’ (Stronger), present in the Olympic motto.  Hidilyn Diaz (PHI) “I am sure the IOC will not regret this so important decision; it is now up to us to continue honouring the Olympic principles and values. In this moment of satisfaction, I must thank the IWF President Mohammed Jalood and the entire IWF leadership for their vision and their hard work for the benefit of weightlifting and its athletes around the world”. By IWF

IWF welcomes IOC Executive Board recommendation on weightlifting in the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) welcomes today’s recommendation that weightlifting be confirmed on the programme of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. The proposal, made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Programme Commission and approved by the IOC Executive Board, will be final if it is ratified by a vote of the IOC Session taking place in Mumbai, India on Monday, October 16, 2023. It follows many months of productive dialogue between the IWF and IOC teams, during which the IWF has had an opportunity to present the wide-ranging governance reform and significantly reinforced clean sport programmes being implemented following the election of a new IWF President and Executive Board in June 2022. IWF President Mohammed Jalood IWF President Mohammed Jalood said: “We are encouraged by this crucial step forward in our efforts to secure the dreams of millions of young weightlifters around the world. “On behalf of those athletes, and everyone throughout the global weightlifting family, we wish to extend our thanks to the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission, its Sport Department and Executive Board for the fair and rigorous process undertaken – and for their guidance in helping us shape a new future for our sport. “Today’s recommendation, subject to the approval of the IOC Session, is testament to the wide-ranging programme of governance reform undertaken by the new IWF Executive Board since our election last year. It recognises, too, the great spirit of unity and openness to change throughout the IWF’s 194 national member federations and five continental federations, who are crucial to the progress we are making. Cyrille Tchatchet, from the Olympic Refugee Team, at the Toyko 2020 Games “The work to deliver a stronger, healthier, more athlete-centred modern sport will continue according to the roadmap set out by our new IWF Strategic Plan – the product of the broadest-ever consultation in the history of weightlifting. “It is fitting that this recommendation should come as we embark on the implementation phase of our new strategy and on the heels of an IWF World Championships which once again highlighted the exceptional universality of our sport and its most youthful talent. “It is with the interests of those athletes at heart that we look towards Monday’s vote of the IOC Session with renewed optimism and determination.”

PRK and Liu Huanhua in world-record form at Asian Games

After eight days of intense competition at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, the team honours went to DPRK and the top individual was Liu Huanhua from China. Seven world champions were beaten, but that was hardly surprising given they had less than four weeks between winning in Riyadh last month and lifting again in Hangzhou. Liu Huanhua (CHN) Tian Tao, who failed in Riyadh but won at 96kg at the Asian Games, said, “Two competitions in one month is very difficult. We would never usually do that.” While many athletes had four weeks preparation time, PRK’s team had nearly four years. Because of Covid restrictions, which led to PRK withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympic Games, they had not competed since December 2019, or even longer ago in some cases. PRK's 64kg winner Rim Un Sim unwraps a gift at press conference along side team manager Song Nam Jang PRK could not have made a more spectacular return. On the first day in Hangzhou Ri Song Gum and Kang Hyong Gong both set world records and won gold, at 49kg and 55kg respectively, and by the end of the competition PRK had six gold medals, one more than China. The 59kg winner Kim Il Gyong also claimed a world record for PRK with a snatch of 111kg, taking the record from Olympic champion Kuo Hsing-Chun, who finished third. “Every gold medal is payback for our hardship over four years,” said Song Nam Jang, the PRK team manager. “We are world leaders now. We wanted to show our strength and we did it.” DPRK has confirmed to the IWF that it will allow independent foreign anti-doping missions into the country. If it all goes smoothly, it will secure PRK’s long-term future in the sport. Kim Chun Hui, PRK's national coach Liu Huanhua’s individual performance in winning at 109kg was all the more remarkable because he weighed in at 100.8kg and could have lifted at 102kg if that category had been on the Asian Games programme. Like the Olympic 89kg category, it did not feature in a competition overseen by the Olympic Council of Asia rather than the IWF. Liu’s 418kg total would have been a 102kg world record. It scored 1,049 Robi points on the IWF calculator. He made a final clean and jerk of 233kg, which he said was better than any lift in training, to relegate world and Olympic champion Akbar Djuraev, from Uzbekistan, into second place. Rahmat Erwin from Indonesia made a 201kg clean and jerk at 73kg to set yet another world record, which he celebrated with his coach and father Erwin Abdullah. Park Hyejeong (KOR) The super-heavyweight winners were Park Hyejeong from Korea, who sent a “get well soon” message to the injured Chinese Olympic champion Li Wenwen, and Gor Minasyan from Bahrain. Minasyan totalled more than 450kg for the fifth time in a year. He said he had never competed five times in 12 months before and he plans to take a break until February. The next big target for many of the athletes in Hangzhou is two months away, the IWF Grand Prix II in Qatar By Brian Oliver, Inside the

Stay tuned for ITA’s five webinars on anti-doping education starting on November 7

The month of November will be a busy one in terms of anti-doping education, with the staging of five webinars by the International Testing Agency (ITA). Every Tuesday, from November 7 to December 5, all participants will be able to be briefed and discuss on several topics related to anti-doping. For the weightlifting family, this initiative is part of the #ILiftClean campaign and follows joint activities by the IWF and the ITA at our major events of the year – in 2023, at the IWF World Youth Championships in March, at the IWF World Championships in September and at the next IWF World Junior Championships in November. The five-webinar series starts on November 7 with the theme “Introduction to anti-doping – Overview of the system, rights and responsibilities, ADRVs”. On the following week, participants are invited to discuss “The Doping Control Process – Testing procedures (urine and blood) and ABP”, while the third webinar, on November 21 will deal with “Medications, Supplements, Prohibited List and TUEs (including the principle of Strict Liability)”. Seven days later, the fourth online rendezvous will present the “Principles and values of clean sport, including sanctions, consequences and speaking up”. The last webinar, on December 5, will focus on “Out-of-competition testing – Requirements of RTP/TP, whereabouts, and use of ADAMS”. The five seminars will be held, every Tuesday, from 14h00 to 15h00 (CET time) and will be run in English (with simultaneous translation in Arabic, French, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Spanish). Those attending all five webinars will receive a final certificate. Participants must sign up for each session using the links below:   November 7, 2023:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Xm_gvjs-QYGKJlniy8eYpQ#/registration November 14, 2023:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_95BuSqKwQv2HLSWdR5UX1A#/registration November 21, 2023:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dsz4HzxFQg2Spt4f46Rhcw#/registration November 28, 2023:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dQGS3Jp4TP6nDoqCXfwNsw#/registration December 5, 2023:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BRltP_YqREyTbLe2-Rz_VQ#/registration

Pyrros Dimas (GRE) elected President of the Mediterranean Confederation

The Electoral Congress of the Mediterranean Weightlifting Confederation (MWC), held in Sliema, Malta, on October 7, has chosen a new Executive Board, chaired by the three-time Olympic champion Pyrros Dimas, from Greece. These elections reflected a climate of great unity within the MWC, with most of the decisions taken by unanimous acclamations. Besides Dimas, the Congress chose Manareddin Eshelli (LBA) as General Secretary, while Jesmond Caruana (MLT) and Ahmed Abdelmaksoud (EGY) are the new Vice-Presidents of the organisation. The MWC Board is completed with the following members: Bossian David (FRA), Maurizio Lo Buono (ITA), Nedim Masic (BIH), Boubaker Bechradui (TUN) and Kamel Saidi (ALG).  “Our goal is to make weightlifting bigger, more beautiful, and to elevate it to the position it rightfully deserves,” considered Dimas after his election.  The IWF was present on this important occasion, with its Secretary General Antonio Urso travelling to Malta and President Mohammed Jalood greeting all the Congress participants through an online message. IWF Executive Board Members and respectively President of the African Weightlifting Federation and European Weightlifting Federation, Khaled Mehalhel and Antonio Conflitti were also in Sliema.  The new MWC President Pyrros Dimas (GRE) The MWC Congress was held on the occasion of a very successful edition of the XIII Mediterranean Weightlifting Cup and Malta International Open, staged from October 6-8 in the tiny Mediterranean

2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan, Pillar 4: Reaching beyond the IWF

After looking at ways of enhancing the three pillars that are at the core of the IWF activities – its Athletes, its Events, and its own Administration –, the fourth pillar of the 2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan focuses on seizing the best opportunities around the IWF structure so that they can be properly promoted. As stated in the Plan, “doing things well is not enough. The world must know and value them. That is why the external environment is almost as important as the IWF itself. Communication campaigns must tell our audiences the stories of our athletes and successful events, by all possible means and platforms. This will definitively enhance the IWF brand, leading to more commercial and broadcasting opportunities, in a market that is quite competitive. Weightlifting fans also deserve to be part of the IWF family and spread the message further”.   This important aspect includes five sub-pillars in the IWF Strategic Plan, all equally important: Marketing and sponsoring, Communication and promotion, Broadcast Rights and production, Exploring Digital possibilities, and Fan engagement.   Identified as a weakness in the present status of the IWF development, the need for additional effort in the areas of marketing and sponsoring is deemed essential. As an important opportunity to generate more income, a marketing strategy is necessary: after consolidating and reinforcing its brand, our International Federation will be able to attract new partners, interested in associating their image with a successful and respected Sport. For that, sponsorship categories must be created and sold, marketing programmes must be established within the frame of major IWF events, and long-term commercial partnerships must be secured. The creation of a specific Marketing Department within the IWF structure is essential.   Also of paramount importance are the efforts in terms of communication and promotion. The positive messaging coming from our successful competitions must be highlighted, through all possible traditional and digital platforms. Specific campaigns around topics that are capable of mobilising fans and institutional partners (human rights, gender equity, climate change, clean sport…) need to be reinforced. The IWF should also be capable of strengthening long-term relationships with respected media outlets around the world, thus ensuring that our content reaches a wider audience. The celebration of the IWF’s 120th and 125th anniversary, respectively in 2025 and 2030 are two privileged occasions to showcase our past, but most importantly our future action.   One of the means that remains fundamental in the exposure of any Sport is its presence on the TV screens. The IWF is no exception to that rule. Whether on traditional TV or in other digital channels, solid broadcasting agreements remain a strong added-value in this strategy. The enhancement of the TV production at our events and a more efficient distribution of the TV signal worldwide should also be prioritised. A better share of the costs related to these operations between the IWF and hosts of IWF events is to be envisaged.   At the end of the day, the major goal of those concepts is to enhance the fans’ experience related to weightlifting. The IWF should therefore explore all opportunities related to the gaming and esports landscape, so that our Sport can reach new and younger audiences. With the advent of more sophisticated and immersive technology, the sports industry has to introduce new ways of presenting its product.   But at the same time the weightlifting “experience” is accessible with one touch on a mobile phone screen or with a successful post on social media channels, the variety of fans following (and eventually practicing) our Sport must be enlarged. The creation of a “Weightlifting for All” programme or the inclusion of the massive Masters Movement within the IWF structure must follow this global effort on promotion and wider exposure of weightlifting in the five continents.   By IWF Communications   Photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia