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Athletes discuss the future of the Olympic Movement in Lausanne

Forrester Osei, the Chair of the IWF Athletes Commission (AC) was the representative of our International Federation in the 11th International Athletes’ Forum (IAF) that gathered this week in Lausanne (SUI) more than 400 athlete representatives to discuss a series of matters across the Olympic Movement.  AC members from 181 National Olympic Committees (NOC), 54 International Federations (IF), the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Paralympic Committee, Organising Committees for the upcoming Olympic Games and Continental Associations, as well as members of the Athletes’ Declaration Steering Committee and representatives from the World Olympians Association, were present in the Olympic capital. During the two-day Forum, discussions among participants focused on three main areas: Olympic Games-related initiatives: “Road to Paris” Pilot Project – an initiative giving more flexibility to sporting good brands to promote their sponsored athletes in the run-up to and at the Paris Games. Social Media Guidelines – innovative opportunities for athletes during Games time to raise their profile by sharing their Olympic journey with their fans. The guidelines will be released in the next few weeks. Professional experience for athlete representatives – NOCs were encouraged to have the Chair or a member of their AC as part of their delegation to support them during the Games, learn about the work of other NOCs, and benefit from this operational experience as an asset for their career transition. Forrester Osei (IWF AC Chair) with Kit McConnell (IOC Sports Director) Support for the network of Athletes’ Commissions: Administrative Support to Athletes’ Commissions – Building on the dedicated support to ACs that the continental associations are already providing, NOCs and IFs are encouraged to provide their ACs with administrative support, to support the running of the commissions and assist in the delivery of athlete-centred activities. Safe Sport – Athletes’ Commission members to be safe sport ambassadors, including participation in the Safeguarding Officer in Sport programme, and put into practice the important learnings they received during the dedicated safeguarding workshop. Athlete rights, clean sport and integrity – It was announced that new implementation guidance will be launched soon to support the Olympic Movement stakeholders in the important work of adopting and implementing the Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities Declaration in their respective organisations. Support for athletes directly: Olympic Movement funding model – Participants were presented with the Olympic Movement funding model and were informed about the athlete support programmes that exist for all athletes globally through the IOC, NOCs, and IFs as a result of the Olympic Solidarity model. The IOC AC will look into ways to further promote and explain the details of Rule 40 and its impact on athletes during the Olympic Games. Mental health A dedicated mental health helpline will be available for all Paris 2024 Olympians and Paralympians. Athletes competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will then have access to the fully confidential and 24/7 Mental Health Helpline (in 70 languages) for the entire Olympiad (i.e. the four-year period). Additionally, it was announced that athletes will be able to benefit from one-year premium subscriptions to a leading mindfulness app to improve their sleep, enhance focus, alleviate anxious thoughts or for any other reasons. This offer will be launched on Athlete365 on 10 October, to coincide with World Mental Health Day. OBS opportunities – In collaboration with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), two OBS training programmes will be taking place from September to November. This initiative provides training for Olympians and Paralympians, preparing them for career opportunities during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Athlete365 app – Athlete representatives gave their feedback on the development of the Athlete365 app. This will be available in time for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to facilitate easier access to all information and resources that are available for athletes and their entourage before, during, and after the Games. Forrester Osei at the ITA booth The Forum concluded with a two-hour Q&A session with the IOC President Thomas Bach, who engaged directly with the athlete representatives and replied to their questions on various topics of the Olympic Movement. Reflecting on the IAF, Forrester Osei underlined that “it represented a privileged opportunity to meet my counterparts around other sports and regions of the world. This is quite important as we understand that we have a lot of common problems and that only together, sharing our experiences, we can find more efficient solutions to those challenges”. The IWF AC Chair also shared his satisfaction with the way athletes are represented and heard within the IWF structure: “Many were surprised to know that the IWF has three AC members in its Executive Board, with full voting rights. This is also valid for the IWF Congress”. Mr Osei then concluded: “This shows the IWF's willingness to put the athletes’ voice at the core of our decisions. This level of athlete representation is almost unprecedented in other International Federations, so we can proudly say we are leading the way on this matter”. IWF Communications, with IOC Press

EWF Cup in Ancient Olympia (GRE): “It will be part of the sport’s history”

The first edition of the European Weightlifting Federation (EWF) Cup was successfully held last weekend in Ancient Olympia (GRE), the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and the privileged venue where the Olympic flame is lit before each edition of the Games. In this so special location, 20 mixed-gender multinational teams coming from twelve European countries and the IWF Refugee Team, each with two competitors (one female and one male), competed in the event. The teams were randomly selected in a drawing ceremony and were named after famous Greek ancient cities.   40 weightlifters from France, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, Moldova, Romania, Spain, Cyprus, Turkey, Bulgaria, Poland, and Greece evolved with enthusiasm in the new format competition. Furthermore, the presence of two athletes from the IWF Refugee Team (Addriel Garcia and Parisa Jahanfekrian) added relevance and global impact to the competition. Parisa Jahanfekrian (second from the left) and Addriel Garcia (third from the right) were the representatives of the IWF Refugee Team Saturday’s activities began in the morning with the first of five sessions. Each athlete had a five-minute window to complete the snatch, followed by a five-minute opportunity to complete the clean and jerk trying to achieve the best result through no more than three attempts per each style. At the end of the day, Toma Loredana and Lucas Muller from Team Knossos clinched the top spot with an impressive 645.98 Sinclair points. They were closely followed by Hernandez Alba and Arthur Mugurudumov from Team Thiva, who secured 644.63 points. The third place was claimed by Team Athina, represented by Erin Barton and Hardal Ferdi, with a score of 643.54 points. Thanks to their performances, each of the teams got respectively 4’000€, 2’000€ and 1’000€ in prize money.     In terms of individual results, the best female athlete accolade was clinched by Toma Loredana from Romania, who showcased 278.59 Sinclair points. On the men’s front, Robu Marin from Moldova emerged as the best athlete with a leading score of 415.74 points.   All event participants got a unique opportunity to visit the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia. Moreover, delegates from the EWF paid special respect to the monument honouring Pierre de Coubertin, and olive trees were also planted on the International Olympic Academy’s famous soil.   The IWF Athletes Commission Chairman, Forrester Osei from Ghana, added to the event’s energy. Osei was essential in energising the crowd, interviewing athletes, and boosting the competitive spirit, together with Damjan Canzek from Slovenia and Alexandru Padure from Romania, both members of the EWF’s family. Antonio Conflitti, the EWF President, addressing some words during the event Before the actual competition was held, educational activities were carried out on Friday, in the presence of the EWF leadership, but also with the IWF First Vice-President Ursula Papandrea, the IWF Vice-President Pyrros Dimas, and the IWF EB member Florian Sperl in attendance. A special guest, Mr. Peter Brull, the Sports Director of the European Olympic Committees, honored the EWF with his presence and praised the steps taken by the weightlifting continental body for the development of the sport in the Old Continent.   The educational seminar sessions started with an inspiring presentation by Dr. Evangelis Albanidis from the Democritus University of Thrace on the “Humanistic symbolism of Olympia and the Olympic values”. Important information about general Anti-Doping topics and the prohibited substances list was provided by Ms. Sophia Manolopoulou – Head of scientific support and quality at the Hellenic National Anti-Doping Agency. The educational activities concluded with the intervention of the IWF Medical Committee Member, Dr. Georgios Tsikouris, who captivated the attention of the participants with the presentation and practical demonstration about arthroscopy for weightlifters with hip injuries.   Olympic champion Zygmunt Smalcerz, one of the event’s coaches, expressed his happiness at the end of the EWF Cup. “The commitment, the enthusiasm, and the spirit — it’s been an experience like no other. Olympia is a shining example of athletic brilliance once more. Weightlifting needs this,” he said.   The EWF President and IWF Executive Board member Antonio Conflitti also praised the outcome of the competition: “Probably the biggest success of this event is the unity that was achieved among the participants. It was wonderful to see a competitor from one country supporting a lifter from another country. It demonstrated once again that sport has no boundaries. I am grateful to everyone who recognised the significance of this event, 12 national federations, as well as to the IWF Refugee team who all participated at this event. EWF expresses its special gratitude to the International Olympic Academy who offered their resources to make the athletes’ dream a reality, to compete in Ancient Olympia, and to the Greek Weightlifting Federation for its great effort. The EWF Cup in Olympia has now become part of the sport's history and heritage”.   The evening’s closing ceremony was graced by the mesmerizing performance of the dancers of the Dance Theater ART, renowned for their role in the various official ceremonies of the lighting of the Olympic Flame in Olympia. A poignant moment in their act was the representation of the athlete Bybon’s remarkable achievement dated in the 6th century B.C., where he lifted a staggering 143.5kg rock over his head, with a single hand, echoing the timeless spirit of Olympia. Among the distinguished attendees were Fotis Kostarias, Vice Mayor of Olympia responsible for sports, the three-time Olympic champion Pyrros Dimas, and the leadership of the EWF, including Board Members and IWF representatives.   As host of the successful event, Mr Kostarias considered: “Olympia has once again proven to be the cradle of athletic excellence. This event has seamlessly blended our rich heritage with modern-day prowess.” Mr Dimas, a national hero in Greece, added: “To witness such an event in Olympia, where legends were born, has been an overwhelming experience. The future of weightlifting shines bright”.   Text and photos by EWF

2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan, Pillar 3: Keeping the IWF safe

It is clearly written in the Strategic Plan: “Good governance, accountability, transparency, and ethics should always come first when evaluating the reputation of a sports organisation. This is also true for the IWF. Mechanisms to ensure all those values are in place and functioning need to be constantly reinforced and monitored. The solidity of an international federation is also built on the capacity it has to generate revenues, allocate resources to its valuable human resources and, of course, develop the best possible relations with other entities with which it relates”. The third pillar of the 2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan relates to a fundamental aspect: building up and reinforcing the reputation of our international federation, guaranteeing at the same time its financial sustainability, or to put it simply: Keeping the IWF safe. After focusing on Athletes and on Events, we analyse this week all the mechanisms capable of guaranteeing the best standards in the implementation of the IWF activities. This chapter naturally begins by highlighting the importance of ensuring a good governance strategy, by which all the IWF stakeholders abide by the Constitution. Emphasis is put towards transparency in everything the IWF, its Continental and National Federations are doing, and equally on the sanctions to be applied on those bodies or individuals not respecting these obligations. The IWF community must definitively establish a culture in which personal biases and interests are put aside and actions are taken in the collective interest of those concerned by those decisions.  This ethical behaviour is also reinforced by periodical accountability checks to the IWF finances and management. The creation of a Financial Committee is proposed – this body should be responsible for overseeing the Federation’s economic and financial status, the IWF risk management policy, and the implementation of a successful financial strategy. Periodical reports, with a clear and precise indication of the income, revenue, and audit are to be produced and published. The financial strategy is deeply linked to revenue optimisation. Recognised as one weak point in the present life of the IWF, new opportunities must be generated, namely in the areas of marketing, sponsorship, and TV rights. Other possibilities to consolidate the IWF finances may include additional funds generated by the host fees and all other income related to the organisation and staging of IWF events. On a broader approach, an Innovation Committee could be a good solution to reflect and propose new ideas for the future of the IWF, in a climate of positive internal and external debate among all our Federation’s stakeholders. A thorough study of the sports international market environment is necessary to identify new trends and opportunities, but also to know about new technological tools able to help speed up processes and working procedures within the IWF. On this topic, the approval of the IWF Strategic Plan in September was accompanied by another important decision: the working group responsible for its creation will be kept in place, this time as the Monitoring Group in charge of assessing the implementation of the Plan. Many of the above-mentioned measures can only be real if adequate human resources are allocated to the execution of these actions. The future of our international federation is linked with the growth and reinforcement of its headquarters in Lausanne, the Olympic capital. In-house staff should be prioritised over third-party providers and a clear organisational chart is to be developed.  This overall effort has to be complemented by the reinforcement of the relationship with our privileged partner, the International Olympic Committee. As an important player in the Olympic Movement, the IWF has to look into ways of improving its institutional presence within the IOC, namely by raising the number of IWF officials in the IOC Commissions or by participating in a more active way in all IOC campaigns related to the Olympic values. Finally, other institutional connections need to be reinforced – for example, with the United Nations and some of its agencies, but also with the environment around the IWF headquarters, the city of Lausanne, the Canton of Vaud, or the Federal authorities in Switzerland. More discussions with other International Federations are useful in the implementation of common projects or in the resolution of similar challenges.  The IWF President Mohammed Jalood As stated by the IWF President Mohammed Jalood in the introductory message of the Strategic Plan: “The IWF is aspiring to consolidate its place in the Olympic Movement and to reinforce its status in a very competitive sport international environment. We are fortunate to have such strong and diverse expertise and experience among our members, but as a 21st-century organisation, we need a plan for how to maximise this and ensure we reach our full potential. This is fundamental to establish priorities, to allocate resources to implement them and, equally important, to measure success”.  Mr Jalood concludes by saying that “given the eight-year period it covers, the IWF will assess the level of execution of the Strategic Plan at regular intervals. This is necessary to maintain the focus and to evaluate the implementation of certain actions, deemed urgent or essential in a given context or situation. The Plan is not set on an automatic pilot mode, we definitively need to verify and fine-tune, if necessary, its path to a destination of progress and enhanced development”. This is the third weekly article consecrated to the analysis of the 2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan, recently approved by the IWF Congress during the IWF World Championships, in September 2023. Next Friday, we will conclude this series with the fourth and last pillar of the Plan: Reaching beyond the IWF.   By IWF Communications Photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia    

IWF President visits training camp in Jiangshan before the Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN)

Before the start of the weightlifting competition at the Asian Games, organised in Hangzhou (CHN), the IWF President Mohammed Jalood visited this week the Weightlifting Training Camp, staged at the Jiangshan Hushan Sports Complex. On this occasion, Mr Jalood was accompanied by the Asian Weightlifting Federation General Secretary Mr Mohammed Alharbi, by the Vice-President of the Chinese Weightlifting Association Mr. Liu Chengliang, by the Mayor of Jiangshan City Mr. Xu Mingfeng, and by the Vice-Mayor Mr. Mao Shufeng. Mr Mohammed Jalood and Mr Mohammed Alharbi during their visit to the training camp The delegation visited the Hushan Sports Complex, including the training and competition venue, the accommodation facilities, the restaurant, and all related sports areas. The IWF President wished the best of luck to all athletes competing in the Asian Games, hoping that they could win some medals in the continental showcase. He also expressed his appreciation for the Sports Complex and his gratitude to the Chinese Weightlifting Association for providing free accommodation to one-third of the participants in the Training Camp. Discussions were also held regarding the promotion of weightlifting and further cooperation with the Chinese Weightlifting Association. 50 weightlifting training platforms are set in the training venue, which received its first athletes ever after its completion. Lifters from seven countries, including Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Mongolia, Oman, Qatar, and Uzbekistan came to Jiangshan to attend this Training Camp. The weightlifting competition at the Asian Games will take place from September 30 to October 7, and follows a very successful edition of the IWF World Championships, held from September 4-17 in Riyadh

Valentin (ESP) retires from weightlifting after Paris 2024 dream is thwarted by injury

Lydia Valentin, one of the most popular weightlifters of the 21st century, has announced her retirement from the platform after her hopes of qualifying for Paris 2024 were beaten by injury. Valentin, who won gold, silver and bronze medals at successive Olympic Games, suffered a hip injury before lifting at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, where she finished tenth. It became so serious the Spaniard has not been able to compete since. Because she never wanted to give up hope, Valentin made herself eligible to qualify for Paris by entering the IWF Grand Prix in Cuba in June, at the age of 38. She weighed in without lifting, and told insidethegames in Havana: "I came here because I didn’t want to close the doors yet. "Training is now completely different for me because when I make the normal weightlifting movements I feel pain. I will only compete again if I am 100 per cent." The hip did not improve, and when Valentin was unable to enter the IWF World Championships which recently ended in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, she became ineligible to qualify. "I love the sport," she said in formally announcing her retirement at the headquarters of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) in Madrid. "I am leaving happy, full and very grateful for achieving what I never imagined." Spanish Weightlifting Federation (RFEH) President Constantino Iglesias, COE chief Alejandro Blanco and Secretary of state for Sport Victor Francos were there to wish Valentin well in retirement. After a number of athletes were disqualified because of doping when stored samples were reanalysed, Valentin was promoted to second place at Beijing 2008 and gold at London 2012. She was third at Rio 2016 - all three medals in the old 75 kilograms category - and also won 10 European Championships medals, four of them gold. Valentin was widely regarded as the perfect role model for women’s weightlifting for more than 10 years of a career that began at the IWF Junior World Championships in 2001. The "beautiful story of weightlifting", as she calls it, is over for her as an athlete but Valentin may stay in the sport. She does not want to be a coach of professional athletes but said she would like to do what she can to bring in new people to weightlifting. By Brian Oliver, Inside the

2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan, Pillar 2: Enhancing the IWF events

When you think of an international sports federation, the first idea coming to your mind is perhaps that this organisation is responsible for the staging of major events around the world in the sport it governs. While this may be a limited view of reality, it certainly corresponds to an important part of an IF work. The IWF is no exception to this rule – with quite a dense calendar, our International Federation is running three World Championships (youth, junior, and senior) on a yearly basis, plus a number of other relevant events such as the World Cup or Grand Prix competitions. These events are the showcase of the IWF activity and a privileged occasion to enhance the exposure of our Stars. That is why, after Pillar 1 of the 2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan was devoted to Athletes, the second foundation relates to “Enhancing the IWF Events”. It focuses on many aspects surrounding the staging of IWF competitions, from the very beginning of the process until its conclusion: it has six sub-pillars related to Calendar Programming, Bidding and Hosting follow-up, Event Organisation, Innovative Events, Sports Presentation, and ITO procedures. Each of them lists a series of actions and strategies aimed at improving each of these topics in the years to come. On the Calendar side, special attention should be given to setting fixed “slots” for each of the main events, avoiding at the same time the “clash” with other world, continental or regional competitions. For marketing and TV purposes, having this “continuity” in time allows for more interest and additional commercial opportunities. Another major issue is the bidding process, which needs to be more diligent and more accompanied by the IWF during its preparation and delivery. The introduction of the athletes’ feedback in this procedure is a major step forward in ensuring that future hosts are of quality and will stage a top-level event in accordance with the IWF’s best expectations. A Bidding Code of Ethics is to be implemented, ensuring full transparency throughout the process. Moreover, mechanisms to do a proper follow-up of the event are to be developed.  On the organisation side, the establishment of a detailed “Practices and Procedures” document, setting standard conditions to be fulfilled by each of the hosts must be put into practice. A close monitoring of its implementation has to be consolidated, and post-event reports must be produced to evaluate the adequation of the bid with the effective competition that was delivered.  Still on the practical side of an IWF competition, the Sports Presentation must be reviewed: a better and more attractive introduction of the athletes is necessary; a more efficient use of the scoreboard and the ledwall is also fundamental; the look & feel of the venue has to be carefully planned; and the presence of spectators has to be always stimulated.  “We definitively need to enhance the presentation of our events. We need to be innovative and inventive – there are plenty of things to be done. The discussion, for example, on the multi-platform event is a very interesting one: this has definitively potential to become a big attraction. Our sport has many breaks, so having multiple platforms will avoid those ‘dead’ moments, for both the spectators on site, but also for the TV viewers,” considers Stian Grimseth, President of the Norwegian Weightlifting Federation and host of the 2025 IWF World Championships, to be held in Forde, a small town of 13’000 inhabitants in the southwest of the country. It will most probably be the smallest-ever city staging an IWF World Championships! “We could even imagine a 10 or eight-platform solution, where the athletes would successively lift until they fail twice in the same weight. The last valid result would then be counted,” he proposes. The Norwegian official suggests more practical innovations: “We could divide the competition and warm-up area in a different way so that spectators could see both areas at the same time. What is happening in the warm-up zone is as interesting as what is occurring in the field of play. Another good idea is to have a speaker commenting on what is happening in the warm-up area and informing on the coaches’ strategy concerning the change of weight for their lifters. We need to create some ‘drama’ around the competition!” Mr Eshaq Ebrahim Eshaq (in the middle) leading Bahrain's team Before Norway, the IWF showcase will stop in 2024 in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. Eshaq Ebrahim Eshaq is the President of the national federation and naturally leads the organising team getting ready for next year’s major rendezvous: “The event and the field of play is our product. It’s critical to improve both. As stakeholders of the IWF, we want to present this product in the best possible way. At the moment, I don’t think it’s at the level it deserves… We are a kind of sleeping giant – we need to project it in a proper way so that the world can realise and understand our full potential,” he says. The 2023 IWF World Championships in Riyadh were already highlighted by some innovation in terms of athletes’ presentation, both on the scoreboard and in the TV graphics. “This was a very good initiative, but it is only the first step. We must build on this and improve. In Manama, my intention is to definitively raise the level of TV production – have more cameras, more slow-motion, more angles… Even if the venue's look is great, what stays is what is shown on the camera. TV production is therefore essential for us,” Mr Eshaq continues.  Concerning the international technical officials (ITO), in order to guarantee the fairness of the competition, educational programmes should be created and reinforced, evaluation tools are to be established, and younger officials should be used (especially at the youth and junior World Championships). Technology and Video Playback tools are to be reinforced to facilitate the refereeing. Finally, and looking into the larger picture, the Strategic Plan is also proposing the development of new formats and models in weightlifting. This is aimed at widening the sports portfolio with different disciplines, such as mixed or teams events, or even taking the sport outside of its traditional venues. The recent initiatives concerning urban weightlifting are having a lot of success around the world: in Lausanne (SUI), La Habana (CUB), Maribor (SLO), or at the upcoming EWF Cup in Ancient Olympia (GRE) at the end of September, the idea is to bring weightlifting to the streets and closer to the general public and its fans. “This kind of initiative is fantastic. It reveals other aspects of our sport and it makes it more attractive for the youth – just remember what happened with the 3x3 basketball ‘revolution’. Every step to make weightlifting more accessible is a winning step to make our sport more popular in the five continents,” Mr Eshaq concludes.  For four weeks, every Friday, we will analyse each of the four pillars of the 2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan. After the first one on "Safeguarding the IWF stars", we are focusing today on Pillar 2 (Enhancing the IWF events). The remaining two are Pillar 3 (Keeping the IWF safe), and Pillar 4 (Reaching beyond the IWF).  By IWF Communications Photos by Giorgio