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IWF Congress: Unity of the weightlifting family allows unanimous approval of revised Constitution and new Strategic Plan

The IWF lived an extraordinary moment of unity on September 12, on the occasion of its Congress in Riyadh (KSA), the host city of the 2023 IWF World Championships. Two main documents for the future of the International Federations were approved by unanimity: the 2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan, and the revision of the IWF Constitution.    At the end of the gathering, the IWF President Mohammed Jalood highlighted the importance of the moment: “We showed a great determination to continue building a great future for weightlifting. I am very thankful for the positive spirit of our Member National Federations in the five continents, which clearly know what our priorities are: remain a strong partner in the Olympic movement, reinforce the principles of good governance, and ensure all is done to keep our sport clean”. Mohammed Jalood, IWF President Concerning the first-ever IWF Strategic Plan, it received unanimous support, with 114 delegates validating this essential roadmap in the life of the IWF.    “This Plan resulted from a profound reflection on what is the IWF today and what it should be in the years to come. A transparent, honest, and realistic discussion took place within the weightlifting family – and this diagnosis is the starting point for what comes next. And from now on, what and how shall we develop? How to modernise our organisation? How to adapt it to the 21st-century requirements, in a very competitive international sports environment?” considered Pedro Adrega, the IWF Interim CEO and Chair of the Working Group in charge of the elaboration of this document.   Mr Adrega then summarised each of the four pillars of the Strategic Plan. “The first one is the most obvious one – Athletes. The second pillar is also quite straightforward – Events. The third pillar aims at keeping the IWF safe. And finally, the fourth pillar looks at reaching the best results beyond the IWF”.   Considering that this is only “the first stone in an enormous building”, the also IWF Communications and Marketing Manager made a strong appeal to all delegates present in the room: “But we must not be complacent. The competition is hard. Many new sports want to enter the Olympic club and we cannot rest on our laurels. We cannot take our position for granted. We need to fight – every day, in every action we plan and do. We need to strive for excellence, for great performances, as our athletes do all the time. Let’s get inspired by them, by their devotion to the Sport they love. We have now an additional, important tool to help us do things well. Let’s do them, together, in a spirit of unity, solidarity, and mutual support!” Mr Adrega finalised. Pedro Adrega, IWF Interim CEO and Communications Manager For the Constitution, the support was even more substantial, with a total of 139 positive votes, a unanimous validation of the document. For a successful revision of this document, a 75% majority was needed: it reached 85.2% of the IWF full members.    The update of the IWF Constitution (approved in August 2021) included a formal review of the text, in order to simplify the reading and understanding of its content. Specific amendments clarify membership procedures of National Member Federations, the regulation of continental and regional associations, the call for ordinary, special and electoral congresses, the revised quorum for approval of constitutional changes (from 3/4 to 2/3 of the members), the separation in the functions of the General Secretary and the Treasurer, precisions regarding the terms of office (namely for Executive Board ex-officio members), and updates on the appointment of the CEO.  Members of the IWF Strategic Plan Working Group: Besim Hasani, Maria Cseresnyes, Pedro Adrega, Hidilyn Diaz, Helga Hakonardottir and Attila Adamfi “We have now a Constitution that is more adapted to the modern functioning of our Federation. We haven’t changed any substantial aspect related to good governance mechanisms, we have simply added some precisions to facilitate their implementation,” concluded a “very happy” IWF President at the end of the Congress.   The IWF Congress also approved the 2022 IWF Audited Financial Statements, and all the activity reports from the several IWF Committees and Commissions: Technical, Medical, Coaching and Research, Development and Education Programme, and Athletes.    On the Anti-Doping activities, Benjamin Cohen, Director General of the International Testing Agency (ITA) made a short presentation on the “successful partnership with the IWF”. Mr Cohen underlined the excellent level of co-operation between the two entities – the ITA is managing the entirety of the IWF anti-doping activities – and expressed his hope that in the future “the IWF can progressively reduce the enormous part of its budget dedicated to the fight against doping. These resources could certainly be used for additional Development activities”.   Finally, several personalities connected to the world of weightlifting were awarded by the IWF. The Collar was given to Ursula Papandrea (USA), Sam Coffa (AUS), Craig Walker (CAN), Intarat Yodbangtoey (THA), and Chang Chao-Kuo (TPE), while the Hall of Fame distinction went to Kyle Pierce (USA) and Sabah Abdi Abdulah (IRQ, posthumous).    IWF Communications   Photos by Giorgio

Riyadh, Day 8: Photo Gallery

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Riyadh, Day 8: Sensational victory for Iran’s Mir Mostafa after China’s big names see red in 89kg

Mir Mostafa claimed a famous and totally unexpected victory for Iran when China’s big names in the men’s 89kg Olympic category, Li Dayin and Tian Tao, had eight no-lifts between them. Li and Tian Tao, both world record holders who stand first and third in the long list in the Paris 2024 rankings, were in trouble early and after two failures each they did not make the podium in the snatch. Mir Mostafa failed with his first snatch and was sixth at halfway. He moved into contention with a 207kg opener in clean and jerk. Asked if he thought he might win, he said, “Absolutely not. “I was just trying my best for a bronze medal, maybe a silver, and never even though about gold. But there were so many no-lifts...” Mir Mostafa (IRI) Tian Tao had three more of them and bombed out, and Li failed at 213kg with one attempt to come. When Li made it to take the lead on 170-213-383 it looked as though China would have a fifth winner here, but Mir Mostafa had one attempt left and he made it for five good lifts in a row and a career-best 169-215-384. “That was my best lifting in competition,” said Mir, whose total will move him up to fourth in the rankings. His total is 4kg better than the 2016 Olympic champion Kianoush Rostami, who made 380kg at last year’s World Championships before being dropped from the Iran team in a rebuilding period this year.$ Li Dayin (CHN) This was only his second appearance at this weight, after lifting at 73kg and 81kg. It was 20kg better than his Asian Championships bronze medal performance behind Li and Tian Tao in Korea in May. The Chinese pair finished 32kg and 23kg clear of Mir then. “It was the result of months of hard work,” said Mir, 23, in perfect English “learned from movies and TV”. He celebrated on the platform with Iran’s large coaching and support team and said, “This was a team effort. Hopefully there will be more medals to come.” Mir also lifted in Bogotá last year when he was still not fit after a back injury and failed to make a total. He took his form and fitness to a new level in an intense preparation for these Championships, the Iranian Federation president Sajjad Anoushiravani explained. “After the Asian Championships there were no holidays,” said Anoushiravani, and Olympic medallist in 2012. “We have been in training camps since then, with good nutrition, good coaching, very professional, very progressive. “Hopefully we will win more medals here.” Europe had the top two in the snatch – Andranik Karapetyan from Armenia and Marin Robu from Moldova, who were fourth and sixth in total, both improving their place in the rankings with totals of 377kg and 370kg. Keydomar Vallenilla (VEN) Keydomar Vallenilla from Venezuela had a sweep of bronze medals on 171-210-381, which was 4kg lower than his best in qualifying. Another improver was Petr Asayonak on 371kg, a 3kg improvement for the Individual Neutral Athlete from Belarus. On a day when Oscar Reyes won Italy’s first world title since 1984 at 81kg, his team-mate Antonino Pizzolato, a Tokyo Olympic medallist, made a disappointing return from injury with three snatch failures and has yet to post a total in qualifying. It was not a complete surprise given his long absence, and Pizzolato said, “I was fine physically and I was neither excited, nor worried, nor agitated, it just happened.” He is ready for a swift return to the gym “so much is my desire to reach the next Olympics”. The Chilean Arley Mendez was another possible medal contender among the entries but he had his accreditation withdrawn before the weigh-in and is out of Olympic qualifying. By Brian Oliver, Inside the Games Photos by Giorgio

Riyadh, Day 8: Rare gold for Italy and another B Group world record for Erwin at World Championships

Rahmat Erwin has done it again – a gold medal and a world record from the B Group at the IWF World Championships. The young Indonesian did not win on total but he took clean and jerk gold in finishing second behind Oscar Reyes at 81kg, the first European winner here after 10 events. European champion Reyes, originally from Cuba, missed his first two clean and jerks but made the last one at 193kg to become his country’s first champion since Norberto Oberburger at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, which doubled up as the World Championships at the time. Oscar Reyes (ITA) “I stayed calm, I knew it was for the gold medal and I was confident I could make it because I have made 200kg in training,” Reyes said. He studied at the Manuel Fajardo sports university in Havana - which has just become an IWF academy - when he decided to move to Italy, where he had family. Reyes stopped lifting but friends helped him to get a job in a gym in Ancona and he returned to the sport before joining Italy's national squad in Rome. Reyes, 26, made 163-193-356 ahead of Erwin, who declined two of his snatches, on 145-209-354. Mukhammadkodir Toshtemirov from Uzbekistan was third on 164-188-352. Rafik Harutyunyan from Armenia took snatch bronze on 162kg and Gaygysyz Torayev from Turkmenistan was clean and jerk bronze medallist on 193kg. Rahmat Erwin (INA) Last December in Bogotá, Colombia, Erwin set the 73kg clean and jerk world record at 200kg and won gold on total from the B Group. The effort, at high altitude, was so exhausting that Erwin was flat out on his back for six minutes before he recovered. In Riyadh today he looked as if he could have gone out and done it again after claiming the world record from Karlos Nasar with a final clean and jerk of 209kg, despite weighing in lighter than everybody else at 76.67kg. Erwin, 22, was not going for gold on total this time, just the world record and clean and jerk gold. With the Asian Games weightlifting starting in Hangzhou, China on September 30, where he will drop back to 73kg and make a rare start in an A Group, Erwin did not want to overexert himself. Mukhammadkodir Toshtemirov (UZB) He completed his first snatch at 145kg and declined the next two. Why? “It was just a warm-up for the clean and jerk,” he said, laughing. Erwin has now won an Olympic bronze medal, three World Championships golds, and set two world records from B Groups. “I prefer B because the timing is better for me, it feels more like a training session than a competition,” he said. “But maybe I will go for A in the Asian Games.” China’s Olympic champion Shi Zhiyong, who has not yet posted a total in Olympic qualifying while he waits for full fitness, is not expected to lift in Hangzhou so Erwin will be favourite for another big win. By Brian Oliver, Inside the Games Photos by Giorgio

IWF EB Meeting in Riyadh: Another successful step forward!

Under the leadership of President Mohammed Jalood, the IWF Executive Board (EB) had a two-day meeting on September 10-11, on the occasion of a very successful 2023 edition of the IWF World Championships, taking place in Riyadh (KSA).    Welcoming his EB colleagues, Mr Jalood underlined that this is a “very decisive moment in the history of our International Federation, on the eve of the IOC decision related to the 2028 Olympic Games programme”. The IWF President then recalled that “the weightlifting family is working united for the development of the sport, as much progress has been seen since the election of the EB in June 2022”. The staging of the 2023 IWF showcase in Riyadh was cited as a good example of “how the IWF improved the organisation of its events. The bar was set very high here – we have a record number of athletes and participating countries, in a very beautiful venue. The Saudi authorities have produced a great show and have ensured the best possible conditions to all participants in these Championships, a mandatory competition for all those aspiring to compete in Paris next year at the Olympic Games”.   Mr Mohammed Al-Harbi, EB member and President of the Riyadh 2023 Organising Committee welcomed all his colleagues in Saudi Arabia and expressed his gratitude for the “IWF’s trust in awarding this so important competition to Riyadh”. Mr Al-Harbi then highlighted the “amazing efforts” of all authorities to ensure participants could enter the country. “Some delegations had some challenges in getting their visa, but at the end of the day, thanks to our effort and determination, they could be present and compete here”.   The main decisions and discussions at the IWF Executive Board meeting were:   - Unanimous validation of the final draft 2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan, pending the official approval by the IWF Congress. This fundamental roadmap results from the broadest-ever consultation within the IWF Family, thus being a collective and consensual document, highlighting the main areas of attention and the necessary actions to implement them. Moreover, the Working Group in charge of the elaboration of this Plan will be kept in place, from now on as the Strategic Plan Monitoring Group;   - The Chair of the IWF Anti-Doping Commission, Mr Rune Andersen, announced that the pre-Olympic testing programme is on “the right track” and that the categorisation of National Member Federations will be enforced from November 1, 2023. According to this categorisation, IWF members will be included in three different groups, taking into account their doping history and many other criteria related to their national anti-doping strategy. For the nations in the A group, a minimum of two out-of-competition tests will be mandatory for eligible athletes for the Paris Games, while educational anti-doping courses are also compulsory; in the B group, the requirements include one test per athlete and optional education; countries in C group won’t need to fulfil any special requirements. The list of countries in each category is to be announced in October by the International Testing Agency (ITA); Mohammed Jalood (IWF President) and Ursula Papandrea (IWF First Vice-President) - Approval of a Working Group in charge of the implementation of the Gender Identity Policy. The first competition to be covered by these guidelines will be the IWF World Junior Championships, to be held in November in Guadalajara (MEX);    - The IWF Technical Committee also presented its recommendations, which include the implementation of a new, more modern TIS system, and the eventual creation of athlete’s qualification quotas at the IWF World Championships;   - Unanimous ratification of the 2022 IWF Audited Financial Statements, pending the final approval of the IWF Congress;    - Related to the Development Programme, and in co-operation with the Olympic Solidarity, a training camp with 10 young athletes (one male/one female per continent) is to be held in Mexico, prior to the staging of the IWF World Junior Championships in November. Moreover, a new update on the Coaches Licence Programme was also given to EB members – in Europe, a pilot programme will, for example, involve 300 coaches from 43 nations. Finally, new criteria and standards will be created to implement the IWF Academies – a project that is presently involving three universities in three continents (Americas – Cuba; Asia – China; Europa – Bulgaria); Forrester Osei (IWF Athletes Commission Chair) - The IWF Athletes Commission (AC) successfully presented its ideas concerning the reinforcement of the resources and number of lifters involved in the second “edition” of the “Direct Support Programme”, starting after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Moreover, the AC is studying the future implementation of an Athlete Transition Programme, aimed at supporting lifters after the conclusion of their competitive career;   - The EB also praised the success of the IWF Refugee Team programme, launched in 2023, which allowed the participation of three athletes at the IWF World Championships here in Riyadh. Two lifters from the team will also be invited to take part in the EWF Cup, taking place at the end of September in Ancient Olympia (GRE);    - Concerning the specific preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Matthew Curtain and Moira Lassen, IWF Technical Delegates to the competition, underlined the importance of attending the Operational Test Event in August. Also on this topic, the EB approved the Terms of Reference and the members of the Commission in charge of analysing the submissions related to exemptions based on exceptional circumstances (as stipulated in the Qualification Rules for the 2024 Olympics). Out of the five members of the Commission, three (with voting rights) were recommended by the International Testing Agency, while the two IWF representatives have no voting rights within the Commission;     - The EB also approved a temporary committee to study the creation of a regional francophone organisation, gathering the nations having French as one of their official languages;    - Updated reports were given by the organisers of the upcoming IWF events: IWF World Junior Championships (Guadalajara, MEX – November 2023); IWF World Cup (Phuket, THA – April 2024); IWF World Youth Championships (Lima, PER – May 2024); IWF World Junior Championships (Leon, ESP – September 2024); IWF World Championships (Manama, BRN – December 2024). Two of the highlights from these presentations include the Green Legacy Programme implemented by the Guadalajara hosts, whereby each participating athlete in the competition will plant a tree, which will be named after him/her, and the use in Lima, for the first time in an IWF event, of two competition platforms.    The IWF EB meeting precedes the gathering of the IWF’s National Member Federations at the IWF Congress, to be held also in the Saudi capital on September 12, 2023. Practical procedures related to the running of the Congress were also discussed at the Executive Board meeting. IWF Communications Photos by Giorgio

Riyadh, Day 7: Photo Gallery

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