Press Release

IWF President lauds weightlifting competition at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Photo: Dan Kent IWF President Mohamed Jalood has praised the outstanding weightlifting competitions at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games which showcased the sport’s athletic prowess, universality, thrilling entertainment and global appeal.The weightlifting competition took place between 30 July and 3 August and saw elite weightlifters compete across 16 weight categories – eight male and eight female.  A total of 178 weightlifters from 38 nations qualified via the Athlete Allocation System, including ex-refugee Olympic athlete Cyrille Tchatchet who competed for Team England. Of the  participating nations, 15 countries from all five Continents won medals reflecting the universality of the sport. In addition, eight weightlifters from four continents were selected as their country’s flagbearers at the Games’ Opening Ceremony including Home Nation, England’s Olympic Silver Medallist Emily Campbell.Birmingham 2022 implemented innovative sports presentation and fan engagement strategies to create an exceptional atmosphere which drew praise from many athletes. The competition also showcased the sport’s commitment to gender representation with a 50:50 gender split on technical officials.IWF President Jalood was in England to attend the weightlifting competition, alongside General Secretary Antonio Urso and seven other IWF Executive Board members.Speaking following the conclusion of the Games, President Jalood said:“The competitions at Birmingham 2022 were a great success and showcased the very best of our sport. Weightlifters from every continent won medals which demonstrates just how strong  weightlifting is around the world. At the IWF we are committed to ensuring that the sport continues to develop globally and provide our athletes with the opportunity to compete in fair and clean competitions.”   Among the weightlifters to grace the podium in Birmingham were: India’s Commonwealth Games defending champion and Olympic silver medallist Chanu Saikhom Mirabai who won gold in the women’s 49kg. Maude G Charron, defending Commonwealth Games champion and Tokyo 2020 gold medallist who won gold in the women’s 64kg. Australia’s defending Commonwealth Games Champion Eileen Cikamatana who claimed gold in the women’s 87kg. England’s Olympic silver medallist Emily Campbell who won gold in the women’s 87+kg. And, defending Commonwealth Games champion Aznil Bin Bidin Muhamad of Malaysia who retained his title in the men’s 61kg. Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation General Secretary Paul Coffa said:“Birmingham 2022 was an incredible advert for weightlifting in Commonwealth nations. The standard of competition was exceptional with many of the world’s best weightlifters taking part. Fans were treated to thrilling competitions and incredible athletic performances and with 15 different countries winning medals there was plenty to celebrate.”IWF Athletes’ Commission Chair Forrester Christopher Osei, who competed at Birmingham 2022, added:“There is no doubt that Birmingham 2022 was one of the best weightlifting competitions I, and many of the athletes I spoke to, have been a part of. The stage for competing was impressive and the way the audience was engaged created an unforgettable atmosphere. It is an exciting time for weightlifting and Birmingham 2022 reinforced that there are creative ways we can enhance the sport and better connect the athletes and fans.”The full weightlifting results from Birmingham 2022 can be accessed here.Weightlifting was first added to the Commonwealth Games programme in 1950 and has featured as a medal sport at every Games

Official candidate list for IWF Electoral Congress released

May 24, 2022 - Lausanne, Switzerland  Today, the independent Eligibility Determination Panel (EDP) chaired by Swiss lawyer Gabriel Nigon released the official list of approved candidates for the upcoming IWF Electoral Congress.In a letter shared with the IWF Member Federations and candidates, Mr. Nigon, on behalf of the EDP, thanked all the candidates for their submission. The letter further provided a detailed explanation of the methodology and process used by the EDC to determine the eligibility of each candidate including detailed investigative background checks. Included in the letter was a link sharing the names of the approved candidates for the position of IWF President, Executive Board and various Committee positions.The objective eligibility criteria to be met by all candidates are listed under Article 13.12 and 37.2 of the newly approved IWF Constitution (which can be downloaded from the IWF website). All approved candidates must abide by IWF election and candidate conduct rules.IWF Interim President, Dr. Michael Irani said, “I would like to thank the Eligibility Determination Panel and chair Mr. Nigon for all their hard work. This is a great day for the IWF as we are one step closer in completing the final task asked of us by our Olympic partners – by utilising and following the IWF’s new constitution (completed in January 2022), and introducing robust independent anti-doping procedures we finally come to a transparent and well defined Election process to bring in a new era of IWF leadership and direction.”The IWF Congress is to be held 25-26 June in Tirana,

IWF appoints Colombia as the host nation for the 2022 IWF Senior World Championships

After a recently concluded bidding process by the IWF, Colombia has been selected as the host nation for the 2022 IWF Senior World Championships. As part of a new process, the IWF had released a call for a hosting opportunity to its member federations to be completed by providing a letter of intent to the IWF. Colombia was one of eight member countries who expressed an interest to host the championship. All the eight countries were asked to make a presentation followed by a Q&A session on Friday the 22nd of April, 2022. The Executive Board had to cast their vote by secret ballot until 18:00 CET on the 23rd of April, 2022 to appoint a new host. Colombia was elected as the new host nation with a majority. The competition will be held in Bogota from the end of November into the beginning of December. Colombia has a long history in weightlifting and has been a true testament of grassroot development of the sport. This is the first time Colombia will be hosting a senior IWF World Championship. Dr Michael Irani, the Interim President for the IWF, stated, “This is a joyous occasion not just for the Colombian Weightlifting Federation, but also the IWF. Colombia has provided a consistent stream of strong weightlifting champions through the years and it brings us immense pleasure to be able to take the IWF Senior World Championships there. Weightlifting has changed the lives of many Colombians and this event will prove to be significant in the growth of the sport within the country.” General Secretary of the IWF, Mohammed Jaloud, concurred and added, “Colombia as the host nation of the World Championships is important for the weightlifting family all around the world. Our vision of an inclusive sport with global presence and the future of this growing sport will be resonated as Bogota takes charge to host the Senior World Championships at the end of the year.” William Peña, President of the Colombian Weightlifting Federation, commented “Sensational news. A recognition of a country that transforms lives through weightlifting. With articulated work and a lot of love we will make the best World Championships in history. Thank you IWF, for trusting us.” The 2022 IWF Senior World Championships were originally slated to be held in China but the Chinese Weightlifting Association (CWA) concluded against it due to the current Covid-19 situation in the

IWF Welcomes the Sports World to its Headquarters in Lausanne

April 22, 2022, Lausanne - Today, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) welcomed members from the Olympic sport community to its headquarters at the Maison du Sport International in the Olympic capital of Lausanne. Due to the impact and restrictions brought about by the pandemic, the IWF was unable to celebrate the move of its headquarters to Lausanne a year ago.The joyous occasion was graced by various executives from the sport world, including delegates from international sport federations and other sport stakeholders. Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion Meso Hassona, 2021 World Champion and World Record holder in Snatch, Lesman Paredes, and Tokyo 2020 Olympian, Yazmin Stevens, all Athlete Ambassadors of the IWF, also celebrated this day with us.In the short welcome by Dr. Michael Irani, the IWF Interim President, he said: “It is very important to celebrate our move here to Lausanne as it also marks a move to a new and bright future for the IWF and for global Weightlifting. We are conscious about our past issues, but today we look forward with confidence and optimism. So we are very pleased to see so many members from the sports world present at the IWF office inauguration at the Maison du Sport International in Lausanne” IWF General Secretary Mohammed Jaloud welcomed everyone saying “We are delighted to finally welcome you to our headquarters in the Olympic Capital. We are looking forward to establishing closer ties within the sports world in Lausanne and hope to see all of you more often. This a celebration of the new and reformed IWF which we bring to you with our global star athletes.” The IWF shall continue the celebrations onto the next day where it unveils its novel concept of the 1st IWF Street Weightlifting Competition, held in the heart of Lausanne at Le Flon. The exhibition event shall witness 14

IWF unveils new IWF Street Weightlifting Competition and Athlete Ambassador Program

The 1st “IWF Street Weightlifting” Competition will be held in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne in Switzerland on 23rd April. This new exciting international mixed team format of weightlifting is powered by Eleiko and will feature 14 of the world’s best athletes and Olympians from Europe, South America, and the Middle East.This new competition format sees the two athletes from the same country compete together against the other teams in an outdoor setting providing a unique and exciting atmosphere.  IWF Interim President Dr Michael Irani commented “This format can bring weightlifting into town centres and showcases the fun and competitive spirit of our sport.  We want to showcase how great our sport is in urban settings”. “As a long-standing IWF partner with deep connections to professional lifting, we are thrilled to sponsor this event and be part of debuting this new team format for weightlifting,” said Erik Blomberg, Eleiko CEO. “It brings an exciting new dynamic and energy to the sport and will undoubtedly inspire more people to try weightlifting and spark a passion for strength training.”As part of this inventive and forward-thinking project, the IWF also launches its IWF Athlete Ambassador Program.  Four elite athletes have been chosen as role models from the weightlifting family from all over the world to promote, educate, and strengthen equal, fair, and clean sport. The purpose of this program is to give back to the community, what the athletes have learnt through their years of competing and training at the highest level.As the first Qatari Olympic gold medallist and IWF Athlete Ambassador, Meso Hassona, said proudly “As a top-level athlete, I am thrilled and honoured to contribute back to the sport and the weightlifting community. The IWF is now consistently displaying their commitment to clean, equal, and fair sport and I am looking forward to participating in Lausanne, the Olympic capital.”Hassona, is one of the four IWF Athlete Ambassadors, the others being Yazmin Stevens (Malta), Hidilyn Diaz (Philippines), and Lesman Paredes (Colombia). Three of the IWF Athlete Ambassadors Meso, Yazmin and Lesman will be competing in the Street Weightlifting competition.Yazmin Stevens, Tokyo 2020 Olympian also participating at the event in Lausanne, she said:“I am overjoyed to be a part of the 1st IWF Street Weightlifting Competition. This is a unique event showcasing the ethos of the Olympics, citius, altius, fortius, in the heart of the Olympic city. I am looking forward to being amongst the best in weightlifting, where we all come together for equality, diversity, and clean

Albania Selected as Host of 2022 IWF Electoral Congress

April 13, 2022 - Lausanne, Switzerland – Today, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Executive Board announced the selection of Tirana, Albania as the country in which it will host the upcoming 2022 IWF Electoral Congress set to take place on 25-26 June.In an open tender process, all candidates were invited to submit their nomination forms and all related documents in advance of the IWF Executive Board meeting.With 10 countries vying to host the IWF Electoral Congress, each were given the opportunity to present their proposal to the IWF Executive Board. Additional information was further requested after the presentations. Soon after, each member of the IWF EB were asked to submit their confidential vote for their preferred host (each member was permitted one vote). With a majority vote, Tirana was selected as the preferred host. Notably, Albania will provide a neutral setting for the upcoming Electoral Congress as there are no candidates put forth by the national weightlifting federation.Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania, located in the centre of the country it is enclosed by mountains and hills to east with a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea.IWF Interim President, Dr. Michael Irani commented, “We are so pleased to be heading to Tirana for the 2022 IWF Electoral Congress. This is a very important milestone for us, as we were asked by our Olympic partners to address three issues this past year – first updating our constitution which has been completed, second cleaning up our sport from doping which we are happy to report that there have been zero cases in Tokyo 2020 and now the election coming up this summer will complete all three. I am looking forward to the congress and to the important decisions we will make for the future of our sport.”IWF General Secretary, Mohamed Jaloud added, “We have had overwhelming interest from around the world from cities and countries interested in hosting our electoral congress. It was a very hard decision, but we are looking forward to going to Tirana. We are confident that they will deliver a flawless event and ensure that the weightlifting family is supported on all levels. We could not ask for a better partner.”President of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Fidel Ylli said, “We are so pleased to have been selected as host of the 2022 IWF Electoral Congress. With our hosting and hospitality experience, we know that we will be able to provide the IWF with all the support needed to host an excellent event. Furthermore, the IWF is a great partner with a dynamic future, we are looking forward to welcoming the weightlifting family to Tirana in June.”For any questions, please