Press Release

IWF leadership celebrates 120th anniversary in Lausanne

The IWF leadership was today in Lausanne (SUI), the city hosting the IWF Headquarters, for the celebration of the 120th anniversary of our International Federation. The top officials present in the Olympic Capital included the IWF President Mohammed Jalood, the IWF General Secretary José Quiñones, and the IWF Athletes Commission Chair Forrester Osei. The former IWF General Secretary Antonio Urso also attended the celebration. From left to right: Forrester Osei (IWF Athletes Commission Chair), Mohammed Jalood (IWF President), José Quiñones (IWF General Secretary), and Antonio Urso (former IWF General Secretary) On June 10, 1905, in the German city of Duisburg, four founding members – Denmark, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands – created what would be the predecessor of the IWF. The first name of the world body in charge of governing weightlifting (and wrestling at the time) was “Amateur Athletic World Union”. Other nations slowly joined the new organisation, which had 16 members in 1913. In 1920, Weightlifting became the only sport governed by the Federation, and in 1972, the definitive name of ‘International Weightlifting Federation’ was adopted. Presently, the IWF has 195 Member National Federations in the five continents and organises world competitions in Olympic weightlifting. At the Games, our Sport was already present in the first edition in 1896 – in Sydney 2000, the programme was open to women’s participation.   Present in Lausanne also for the ASOIF General Assembly and the 12th International Athletes Forum, the IWF officials were able to blow the candles of the IWF’s celebratory cake, exactly 120 years to the day after the foundation of our organisation. MOHAMMED JALOOD, President: “As one of the oldest international federations and a founding sport of the modern Olympic Games, we are very proud of our rich and prestigious 120-year history. While this is a privileged opportunity to celebrate the feats of our athletes and the hard work of the administrators that preceded us, these 120 years should be a moment to reflect on the future, so that weightlifting can continue inspiring thousands of young athletes in the five continents!” JOSE QUINONES, General Secretary: “We are celebrating this anniversary in a pivotal moment for the history of the IWF. We recently held elections and the entire weightlifting family showed great unity around common goals! That’s the best proof that we remain faithful to the values of our ancestors and that we are now ready to write many other golden pages in the successful history book of our International Federation”. FORRESTER OSEI, Athletes Commission Chair: “I am very happy and honoured to join this celebration, on behalf of all our talented and devoted athletes! Much of our history is made by the achievements of our lifters during these 120 years - thousands of stories made of resilience, sacrifice, determination, hard training, and superb performances. IWF exists to serve the athletes and their support personnel – in return, they all give us, on a daily basis, the inspiration to continue building a bright future!”   IWF

Mohammed Jalood brilliantly re-elected as IWF President

Mohammed Jalood was re-elected as the IWF President for the period 2025-2029, after receiving 168 votes from the delegates present at the IWF Electoral Congress, taking place this weekend in Riyadh (KSA). First elected at the helm of our International Federation in June 2022, Mr Jalood couldn’t hide his emotion after receiving such an outstanding level of support from the National Federations’ representatives present in the Saudi capital and a few others also attending the Congress online. “I am of course immensely happy and honoured with the confidence and trust the Congress awarded me, but, most importantly, this result demonstrates the unity in the weightlifting family and the satisfaction for the immense work we have done in recent years,” declared Mr Jalood, a former athlete, coach and administrator from Iraq. IWF President Mohammed Jalood after the announcement of his victory After the successful presidential election, the remaining composition of the 2025-2029 Executive Board was also defined by the vote of the participating delegates. For the two next major positions, Mr José Quiñones (PER), President of the Pan-American Weightlifting Federation was elected the new IWF General Secretary, while Ms Ursula Papandrea (USA) was reconducted as the IWF First Vice-President. The two new IWF Vice-Presidents are Mr Mohammed Al-Harbi, from Saudi Arabia and former member of the Board, and Mr Chengliang Liu (CHN), a new entry in this body. The 2025-2029 IWF Executive Board The list of the remaining 12 members of the 2025-2029 IWF Executive Board comprises:Ms Wen Hsin Chang (TPE)Mr Matthew Curtain (GBR) Mr Pyrros Dimas (GRE) Ms Gardencia Du Plooy (RSA) Ms Yassiny Esquivel (CRC) Ms Karolina Lundahl (FIN) Mr Shakhrillo Makhmudov (UZB) Mr Florian Sperl (GER)Ms Sirilak Thatman (THA) Mr Boukar Tikire (CMR)Mr Jerry Wallwork (SAM)Mr Luis Zambrano (ECU) Besides the 17 members elected at today’s Congress, the IWF EB also includes five additional Vice-Presidents, each of them leading their respective continental federation, and three members of the IWF Athletes Commission (including its Chair).  IWF Ordinary Congress The IWF Ordinary Congress, taking place earlier in the day, was officially opened by HH Prince Fahad bin Jalawi Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Vice-President of Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, who welcomed all delegates to Riyadh and highlighted the commitment of the Saudi sport authorities to promote weightlifting in the country. IWF President Mohammed Jalood with HH Prince Fahad bin Jalawi Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud The IWF President and IWF General Secretary then addressed the audience about the work of the 2022-2025 Executive Board and the positive consequence it brought for the permanence of our sport in the Olympic programme. “We are presently a respected Sport, abiding by the highest standards in terms of good governance and fight against doping, just to name the main two areas that caused us many problems in the past,” considered Mr Jalood. The outgoing General Secretary Antonio Urso also spoke about the great improvements made by the IWF in recent years. “This was done in a spirit of unity and great passion for our Sport. I will keep this wonderful weightlifting family forever in my heart,” confessed Mr Urso. In a video message sent to the Congress, the IOC President Thomas Bach confirmed that weightlifting was of “significant importance” for the overall success of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. “You can be proud of the achievements of your athletes,” declared Mr Bach, who is soon leaving the IOC presidency. “I hope you can maintain the same level of co-operation with my successor, IOC President-Elect Ms Kirsty Coventry. From my side, I will now enjoy watching your sport as a big fan of it,” concluded Mr Bach. Stian Grimseth presenting the 2025 IWF World Championships The Congress then approved the independent audit of the 2024 Financial Statements, and the lifting of the suspension status for the National Federations of Gambia, Liberia, Maldives, Mauritania and Senegal, and the approval of membership for the National Federation of Equatorial Guinea. The delegates were also briefed on the latest stage of preparation for the 2025 IWF World Championships, to be staged in October in Forde (NOR). Moreover, interesting presentations were delivered by SBD, IWF Official Partner and Supplier, Eleiko, IWF Official Supplier and ZKC, IWF Official Supplier. In recognition of the Saudi authorities’ continuous support to weightlifting, the IWF awarded its Gold Collar to HH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Sports Minister and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and to HH Prince Fahad bin Jalawi Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. José Quiñones and Antonio Urso receiving their Hall of Fame Certificate Finally, for their long, valuable and tireless services within the IWF and the weightlifting family in general, Antonio Urso and José Quiñones, President of the Pan-American Weightlifting Federation, were inducted into the Weightlifting Hall of Fame. IWF

Four lifters integrate the 2024 IWF Refugee Team

The IWF is happy to announce its Refugee Team for the year 2024, comprised of four athletes: Parisa Jahanfekrian (originally from Iran, but residing in Germany), Aline de Souza and Monique Araujo (both from Brazil, but presently based in the USA), and Addriel Garcia (Cuba/Italy). These lifters were already part of the first-ever programme in 2023, and will therefore have additional opportunities during the upcoming months to compete at the IWF events. Applicants for the team could apply until January 31, 2024. Besides these athletes, directly selected by the IWF, all lifters that are part of the IOC Refugee Team will also join the group. In 2024, the selected coach to manage the team in Aveenash Pandoo, former IWF Coaching and Research Committee Member, currently working as Head Coach in Abu Dhabi Weightlifting Club. The team is completed by Hussein Elsettawi, a physiotherapist. Monique Araujo (BRA) In accordance with the eligibility rules for the IWF Refugee Team (the 2024 Policy can be consulted here), athletes must be officially recognised as refugees in their country, in accordance with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and may be entered in IWF events. Asylum seekers are not accepted in the programme and all lifters are required to have a travel document and must comply with article 5.5.16 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules, by which whereabouts information of the athletes shall be submitted at minimum three months prior to the event. Finally, all athletes and support personnel must complete the WADA ADEL online course before competing and present their certificate to the IWF/ITA. In accordance with article 17.2.2 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules, the IWF may also decide to request that athletes complete education activities before and/or during their participation in selected events as a condition of such participation. The 2024 IWF Refugee Team programme will be effective until the conclusion of the IWF World Championships, next December in Manama (BRN). While these athletes are not part of the Olympic Qualification system (with the exception of the lifters included in the IOC scholarship holders’ list), they will be able to attend IWF competitions throughout the year and will be invited to take part in at least one training camp during the year. “After a very successful launch of the IWF Refugee Team in 2023, we are pleased to proceed with the programme. This is once in a lifetime opportunity for these lifters, and I will personally never forget the satisfaction of the two Brazilian lifters who were able to compete at last year’s IWF World Championships in Riyadh. These athletes have experienced quite challenging situations during their existence, but their passion for the sport remained unchanged,” considered the IWF President Mohammed Jalood. “I wish all the lifters included in this group the best luck and I look forward to seeing them performing at the highest level in our competitions,” concluded Mr Jalood. IWF

Achilleas Tsogas appointed as new IWF CEO

The IWF is happy to announce the hiring of Achilleas Tsogas, as CEO of our International Federation, taking his functions from March 1, 2024 at the headquarters in Lausanne (SUI). With an extensive and solid experience in Sports Management, Mr Achilleas was previously working at the International Olympic Committee for more than eight years, firstly in the Olympic Games department, in the Youth Olympic Games unit and successfully delivered three Youth Olympic Games before transitioning to the sports department. Within the summer sports team, Achilleas was responsible for the combat sports, as well as for weightlifting, and the key contact person for all elements related to the Olympic Movement for the relevant International Federations. Before his IOC involvement, the new IWF CEO held several managerial roles in the organising committees of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but also in other international, renowned events around the globe, namely the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Mediterranean Games, Arab Games and European Games. Originally a judo athlete and member of the Greek national team, he relocated to Australia and became a member of the Sport department of the organising committee of the Olympic Games Sydney 2000. Following that, he became the sport’s competition manager at the Olympic Games Athens 2004, having being also successfully involved in the Judo World Championships in 2001, 2003 and 2005, as an additional member of the IJF Sport commission. Mr Achilleas is of Hellenic nationality and is fluent in his Greek and English, while having an intermediate level in French and Japanese. In his native Greece, he was also the man behind the creation and management of several sport clubs around the country. Education-wise, his bachelor degree in Physical Education and Sports Science, obtained in Athens, was complemented by a Masters in Sport Management at the University of Technology, Graduate School of Business, in Sydney (AUS). “We are extremely satisfied with the appointment of Mr Tsogas as our new CEO, as we believe his confirmed experience will be an added-value for the International Weightlifting Federation. In his previous functions at the IOC, he could witness the progress we have made in many essential areas; I am sure he will be pivotal for the reinforcement of our sustained and continuous development,” considered the IWF President Mohammed Jalood. “It is a great pleasure and honour for me to embark on this new exciting journey with the IWF/Weightlifting Family. I have been privileged to undertake diverse sports event positions around the world in which I was able to successfully co-operate with various organisations and groups of people coming from different cultural and sporting backgrounds and look forward to bringing all the experience to the best use in my new role.. I would like to thank President Jalood and the entire Executive Board for the confidence and trust and to ensure them that I will use at the best my experience to drive the IWF to new heights as a global sport and continue to strengthen the position of Weightlifting within the Olympic Movement,” said the new IWF CEO. IWF

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.”