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IWF conducts broadest-ever stakeholder consultation to shape new Strategic Plan

More than 250 members and stakeholders of the global weightlifting family have so far been consulted as part of a process to develop a first-ever Strategic Plan for the IWF. It represents the largest and widest consultation in the federation’s history and comes a year after the election of a new IWF Executive Board with a mandate to unify the global sport and reform its culture and governance. The plan will include a new IWF vision, mission and values alongside current situation analysis and a framework comprising strategic pillars and priority actions. The Strategic Plan will be a central roadmap for the future of weightlifting A final version is set to be presented for approval by the IWF Congress in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September on the sidelines of the IWF World Championships 2023. When complete, the document will provide a central roadmap for weightlifting’s global development as the IWF looks to shape a new future as a clean, athlete-centred and well-governed modern sport. Those consulted as part of the project represent a broad cross-section of weightlifting’s international community, which spans 194 countries across every continent. They range from continental associations and member federations to athletes, commercial partners and barbell suppliers. Beginning in May this year, consultation exercises have included a Member Federation survey seeking views on the sport’s priorities and road-testing of drafts with internal committees and commercial partner representatives. Key stakeholders from outside weightlifting will also be offered the chance to review and input in a future phase. The IWF Strategic Plan project is being overseen by a nine-person steering committee chaired by IWF Communications Manager Pedro Adrega. It includes the Chair and Vice Chair of the IWF Athletes Commission, Forrester Osei (GHA) and Olympic Champion Hidilyn Diaz (PHI), who is among the sport’s biggest current names. The IWF Executive Board is also represented by Vice-President Attila Adamfi, while Antonio Conflitti, President of the European Weightlifting Federation is the voice of the IWF continental associations. From the Member Federations’ side, Helga Hakonardottir presides over the Icelandic national weightlifting body. Besim Hasani, independent external advisor and former President of the Kosovo National Olympic Committee, Maria Cseresnyes, IWF Business Administration Manager, and Catherine Inkster, JTA (communication agency partnering with the IWF) representative, complete the members’ list of this working group. "Weightlifting is one of the most fundamental Olympic sports" - IWF President Mohammed Jalood Weightlifting is among the most universal and foundational Olympic sports. Practiced since ancient Greece, part of its appeal lies in its ability to connect modern audiences with the continuum of human performance. While recognising these unique assets, IWF President Mohammed Jalood emphasised the need to avoid complacency. President Jalood said: “Weightlifting is one of the most fundamental Olympic sports – practiced widely as a training activity and enshrined in the Olympic motto, Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together. “But no sport can afford to rest on its laurels in the competitive modern sports marketplace, and the IWF has been clearly tasked with setting a new course for its future. “Meaningful change in sports governance is delivered with effective work and consultation is crucial in this context to build unity of purpose.” For any media inquiry or request for additional information, please contact Pedro Adrega at

Lausanne hosts successful second Swiss Street Weightlifting

The second edition of the Swiss Street Weightlifting successfully took place on July 8-9 in Lausanne (SUI), the Olympic capital. During the weekend, in a very central location of the city – the Flon – many hundreds of adults and children had the opportunity to see weightlifting exhibitions and even to have an initiation to the sport. The organisers of the event, also supported by the IWF, were “very happy with the enthusiasm around this initiative” and the “support of the Lausanne people to street weightlifting”. Photo by Nadine Blanchard On a more competitive mode, six mixed teams of two lifters (one man, one woman) - this is one of the main "concepts" of this initiative, the possibility of having men and women competing together in the same team - made the way into the finals. For the fifth place, the battle between Team Crossfit (A. Lancry & J. Aufdenblatten) and team Switzerland (S. Meister & Y. Tschan) was won by the latter. On the fight for the bronze medal, Team France (L. Antonio & B. Ferré) was better than Team Spain (G. Anasagasti & A. Mendoza). Finally, the gold went to Team International (S. Davies & D. Certov), which defeated Team Brit-Swiss (F. Morrow & T. Verloes). Besides the “traditional” weightlifting competition, a bench press exhibition was open to everyone, as well as a demonstration of street workouts (thus bringing together athletes and spectators). Moreover, one of the goals of the Swiss Street Weightlifting is to bring together two communities - weightlifting and CrossFit. That is why the organisers of the event opted for a faster, more attractive and interactive competition format. On Sunday morning, the Swiss Youth Championship was held and a free weightlifting initiation was organised for

IWF celebrates the ITA’s fifth anniversary and renews partnership

The IWF Secretary General Antonio Urso was recently in Lausanne (SUI) to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the International Testing Agency (ITA) and to sign the yearly contract renewal between the IWF and the ITA. This partnership, in place since 2019, includes most of the activities connected with the IWF anti-doping rules, namely the athletes’ testing, sample storage, scientific research, TUE procedures, education, results management, intelligence, and whereabouts submission process. Representing already more than 30% of the IWF’s annual budget, the partnership with the ITA was reinforced with more resources in three specific areas: education (courses and programmes for athletes and support personnel), intelligence and investigation (enhancement of proactive actions in accordance with investigative findings), and legal support (improvement of the anti-doping violations’ management). IWF Secretary General Antonio Urso at the ITA headquarters  “We are very happy to renew this fruitful co-operation with the ITA, our valuable partner in the anti-doping strategy. Over the last years, the IWF has decisively improved its fight against cheating in the sport and the ITA has played a pivotal role in this merciless battle. Besides the testing programmes, many other services – such as education and intelligence – are also part of the agreement between the IWF and the ITA. This is a guarantee that all aspects of the anti-doping policy are covered and that we are 100% committed to reach a drug-free sport and ensure fair and clean events to all our lifters,” considered Antonio Urso, after the ceremony in Lausanne. “The ITA congratulates the IWF for its continued efforts since 2019 to reinforce its anti-doping programme. Through this expanded partnership, we recognise that the IWF is taking all available measures to kick doping out of its sport. We are grateful for the trust the international weightlifting community places on the ITA and acknowledge as well the important work and responsibility that lie ahead of us. The ITA is as committed as ever to offer all weightlifters the opportunity to take part in clean competitions,” stated the ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen. Further details on the IWF/ITA partnership can be found

“Despite almost 40 years in the sport, I’ll never forget these days!”

The enthusiastic words belong to Patric Bettembourg, the coach of the IWF Refugee Team, after the first Training Camp of this group, held from June 23 to July 1 in Halmstad, Sweden. “We shared many happy moments and many hard stories, but the most important in the end is that we became a real team,” adds Bettembourg, who supervised for nine days the training of four athletes in the headquarters of barbell company Eleiko. “This Refugee Team is really an amazing group of lifters!” Patric Bettembourg, the coach of the IWF Refugee Team After the constitution of the first-ever IWF Refugee Team, at the beginning of April, this was the first available occasion for a joint training camp, two months before the start of the major IWF rendezvous of the year, the World Championships in Riyadh (KSA). Four athletes could travel to Halmstad (out of seven members of the team), and the general feeling was very positive after the experience. “Everything has gone very smoothly and we had very good conditions to train. Moreover, the hotel and the food were excellent. The Eleiko centre is offering an optimal environment for the lifters,” states the Swedish coach. Present in Sweden were Parisa Jahanfekrian (originally from Iran), Aline de Souza and Monique Araujo (both Brazilian natives), and also male lifter Addriel Garcia (Cuba). The three remaining lifters of the group – Clementine Meukeugni Noumbissi (Cameroon, but living in Great Britain), Fawaz Mohammed Saleh Hussein (Yemen/Saudi Arabia), and Reza Rouhi (Iran/Great Britain) – could not, despite all IWF efforts on this matter, join the training camp due to the difficulty in leaving their respective host country for the moment. Reflecting on the possible differences between the athletes’ expectations and the outcome of the camp, Bettembourg is clear: “Before their arrival, they expected a lot from this opportunity. At the end of it, I believe the level of satisfaction is excellent”. From a more technical perspective, he considers that given the time between April and now, “all lifters were in the best possible shape”. However, there is of course room for improvement: “They will need to progress, but they have done a great job in such a short time. Even during the days we were together, we could see a lot of progression. They are on a good path – if they continue training consistently”. Aline de Souza and Addriel Garcia Working with these “special” athletes for the first time in his long career, Bettembourg was impressed with their team spirit and mutual solidarity: “I have never met a group of athletes behaving so well and supporting each other so much!” The Swede has an explanation for that: “These lifters are very thankful for being able to be back to the sport they love. It’s an opportunity for them to start again, as weightlifting means everything for them”. Parisa Jahanfekrian The Worlds in Saudi Arabia, to be staged from September 4-17, will be the first opportunity to see these athletes in action, as part of a Refugee Team. “They can all do good lifts there. It will be a great beginning in their ‘new’ career,” the coach admits. Because, as he rightfully concludes, “sometimes not only medals count”. By Pedro Adrega, IWF

IWF Refugee Team already training in Sweden

Led by coach Patric Bettembourg, the IWF Refugee Team is having, from June 23 to July 1, its first Training Camp in Halmstad (SWE), in order to prepare the participation in the 2023 IWF World Championships, taking place from September 4-17 in Riyadh (KSA). Of the seven members of the team, only four could make the trip to Sweden – among women, Parisa Jahanfekrian (originally from Iran), Aline de Souza and Monique Araujo (both Brazilian natives), and also male lifter Addriel Garcia (Cuba). The three remaining lifters of the group – Clementine Meukeugni Noumbissi (Cameroon, but living in Great Britain), Fawaz Mohammed Saleh Hussein (Yemen/Saudi Arabia), and Reza Rouhi (Iran/Great Britain) – could not, despite the best IWF efforts on this matter, join the training camp due to the difficulty in leaving their respective host country for the moment.   The four athletes present in Sweden are enjoying superb facilities in Halmstad – the headquarters of barbell company Eleiko – and have the opportunity to train twice a day, in a venue equipped with modern and high-level weightlifting material. On the first days of the training camp, they were also welcomed by Florian Sperl, IWF Executive Board member and responsible for this successful project. “The atmosphere among the athletes and the coach is great. They all know each other by now and they are happy to share their respective stories and the difficult moments they could experience in life,” states Sperl, after his two-day visit to Halmstad. “The hospitality and the optimal conditions here in Sweden are really appreciated by the athletes. They have an ideal environment to train and prepare for the biggest IWF competition of the year. We hope by then that all the seven lifters of the team can travel to Saudi Arabia” concludes the IWF official. The IWF President Mohammed Jalood also offered his comments on this training camp: “I am happy to see the practical implementation of the IWF Refugee Team programme. The training camp currently being held in Sweden is the first step in a pathway that will see this group of athletes competing in our major events. I thank all those involved in the development of the project and I wish the seven lifters the best success – from now on, the IWF is also their home!”

IWF delegation concludes successful visit to Paris

An IWF delegation was recently in Paris to meet with the organisers of the upcoming Olympic Games in 2024 and discuss on the event readiness, with about 13 months to go before the start of the competition. On June 21-22, Matthew Curtain, IWF Executive Board Member and IF Delegate, as well as Moira Lassen, IF Delegate, and Matyas Lencser, IWF Competition Manager, were in the French capital to discuss with the Organising Committee of the Olympic rendezvous about many areas of interest.   Those topics included the transportation plan, the sport presentation of the weightlifting events, the award ceremonies, training venues, and the brand identity and look of the Games. Important updates were also given on the accreditation procedures, the venue and infrastructure, test event, and the ticketing programme. To conclude the two-day visit, the IWF officials also had the opportunity to visit the venue of the weightlifting competition.   “It was a very useful and important meeting, where we could appreciate the efforts and expertise of the Olympic hosts. The Organising Committee of the Games is doing their utmost to ensure the best conditions are met for our athletes, coaches, and officials during the time of the Games,” said Matthew Curtain and Moira Lassen.    The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to August 11 and will include the participation of 120 lifters, distributed in 10 bodyweight categories (five for men, five for women). Up to date, six qualification events have already taken place in the pathway for the event – the 2022 IWF World Championships, four 2023 continental showcases, and the recent IWF Grand Prix in Havana (CUB). The next qualifier for the Games will be the 2023 IWF World Championships in Riyadh (KSA), from September 4-17.