Press Release

Senior IWF delegation meets with Colombian Weightlifting Federation ahead of record-breaking 2022 IWF World Championships

A senior International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) delegation led by IWF General Secretary Antonio Urso met with the Colombian Weightlifting Federation in Bogota to discuss preparations for the upcoming 2022 IWF World Championships. The World Championships will take place on 5-16 December 2022 and is set to involve more athletes than ever before. Colombian Weightlifting Federation President William Peña and Colombian Weightlifting Federation Director of Events Andrea Peña met with IWF General Secretary Antonio Urso to update him on progress and was joined by IWF Competition Manager Matyas Lencser, and President of the Pan American Weightlifting Federation Jose Quiñonez. During the visit, the delegation had meetings with local and national sports authorities such as the Minister of Sport, Maria Isabel Urrutia who is a Sydney 2000 Olympic Weightlifting Champion, President of the Colombian Olympic Committee Mr Ciro Solano Hurtado and the IDRD to ensure the smooth running of the event. They also met with media to discuss coverage of the event which will be hosted in South America for the first time. Visits were made to hotels with capacity to serve the athletes of the more than 110 federations registered, as well as the restaurants, gyms, meeting rooms and auditoriums to hold the 2022 IWF Special Congress. IWF General Secretary Antonio Urso said: “We are greatly looking forward to making history with these World Championships in Colombia. It will be the first time our flagship event has been hosted in South America and it is set to attract more of the world’s best athletes than ever. We are grateful for the ongoing support and commitment of the Colombian Weightlifting Federation and Colombian authorities and we have no doubt they will stage a world-class event. With the World Championships also serving as a qualification event for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 we are sure our athletes will put on unforgettable

IWF signs agreement with ZKC as official sole supplier for Paris 2024

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has signed an agreement with CHINA Hebei ZhangKong Barbell Manufacturing CO. LTD.  (ZKC) to be the federation’s official Sole Supplier for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.ZKC has extensive experience in supplying the highest-standard equipment in weightlifting and was the IWF’s official Sole Supplier for Beijing 2008, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.ZKC will provide all the required equipment to the Paris 2024 Organising Committee in accordance with the IWF Technical Competition Rules & Regulations. In addition, ZKC is entitled to use the "Official Sole Supplier" title in its advertisements.Antonio Urso, IWF General Secretary said:“We are very happy to continue our long-term partnership with ZKC. ZKC has been the IWF’s official supplier at three Olympic Games and has a proven track record of delivering the highest quality equipment for our athletes. We are looking forward to working with them again at Paris 2024 and ensuring our athletes have what they need to compete at their best.”Mr. Zhang Zhiguo, ZKC General Manager said:“We are very proud to have signed this agreement with the IWF and ensure the continuation of ZKC’s affiliation with elite weightlifting. As the Official Sole Supplier, we recognise we have an important responsibility to provide equipment of the highest standards for the Olympic weightlifters. We have developed a strong relationship with the IWF over three Olympic Games and are excited to work with them again at Paris 2024.”The IWF Executive Board had approved ZKC as the official sole supplier for Paris 2024 during its meeting on 1 September

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