Press Release

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

IWF Announces First Athlete Elections

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has asked its member federations to submit nominations for the forthcoming Athletes Commission elections. The elections, a key step in implementing the governance reform adopted earlier this year, will take place during the IWF World Weightlifting Championships between 7 and 16 December in Tashkent.   Following the elections, the IWF will break new ground in athlete representation by having three athletes on the IWF Executive Board and also having three athletes as full voting members of the IWF Congress. “Thanks to the steps we have taken to adopt a new constitution and implement it, the IWF can say with certainty that athletes will be given a strong voice within IWF decision making and that there will be important new faces on the IWF Executive Board,” said IWF Interim President Dr. Michael Irani.  “I am deeply proud of the way we have been able to fully deliver on the expectations that the IWF would renew its governance, ensure clean weightlifting competition at the Tokyo 2020 and demonstrate a very different culture by having new faces on the Executive Board. I firmly believe that with these actions, the IWF will have secured weightlifting’s Olympic future.”  Candidates for election to the IWF Athletes Commission will be subject to the same strict eligibility criteria and verification procedures currently underway for the nominees submitted for election to the IWF Presidency, the IWF Vice Presidency and IWF Executive Board

IWF Executive Board Meets, Decides Good Governance Provisions

The IWF Executive Board met online and in person in Jeddah, Saud-Arabia and discussed good governance measures, making several key decisions aimed at implementing the recently-adopted Constitution at the heart of the IWF’s reforms. The decisions focused on provisions for the various upcoming elections and ensuring they are conducted according to high levels of integrity. “The IWF has already turned a corner. We already know that the composition of the Executive Board after the coming elections will be more representative of athletes, have improved gender equity and that all candidates will have had to go through eligibility checks that include strict provisions around clean sport,” said IWF Interim President Dr Michael Irani. “We already know this because of the Constitution adopted in August. Today’s decisions around the implementation of that Constitution are a further demonstration of just how far the IWF has come in terms of reform.” Terms of Reference were approved for the IWF’s new Legal Commission and Electoral Commission. There was also discussion about ensuring the IWF serves as the best possible example for Member Federations, with support being provided through translation of the IWF Constitution to several languages such as Spanish, French, Russian and Arabic and with possible continental seminars of the newly adopted rules. The election rules for the IWF Athletes Commission were also approved, with participants at the 2021 IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent to serve as the electorate. Three athlete representatives will then go on to become members of the IWF Executive Board and also have a vote at the IWF Congress. The IWF Athletes Commission election rules will now be subject to approval by the Electoral Commission. After the approval of the Electoral Commission all details of the process will be provided to Member Federations. Taken together, these developments will make the IWF a leader in athlete inclusion in decision making. The IWF Executive Board also discussed progress towards the 2021 IWF World Weightlifting Championships, which continues to be on track. “We are determined to follow up on the clean weightlifting competitions of Tokyo 2020 with clean World Championships. After turning a corner, it is vital that weightlifting stays on the right track. And I am confident that the measures we are putting in place will ensure just that,” continued Interim President

Key Dates And Location For IWF World Weightlifting Championships And Elections Announced

Lausanne, 9 September 2021; Following decisions taken by the Executive Board of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), the dates and locations of the forthcoming 2021 IWF World Weightlifting Championships and the IWF Electoral Congress have been announced.  Both the 2021 IWF World Championships (7-17 December) and the Electoral Congress (20-21 December) will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.All related documents including the Event regulation are now available on the IWF website. “We already know for sure that the IWF Executive Board which follows the December elections will be very different to any that has gone before it, reflecting a more egalitarian culture that is also more clearly focused on the needs of weightlifters,” said IWF Interim President Dr Michael Irani. “This will follow on from clean weightlifting competitions at Tokyo 2020 and the adoption of completely revised governance measures in satisfying the criteria for success that were established for us by the IOC.” The 2021 IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championships were successfully held in Tashkent in May, as were the Asian Weightlifting Federation’s 2021 Congress and Asian Championships. “Our friends in Tashkent have already proven themselves to be very capable organisers of important weightlifting events this year, and the IWF is deeply grateful both to them and to the others who had shown interest in hosting our events. The IWF is pleased to be able to deliver this measure of certainty around the 2021 IWF World Weightlifting Championships for all our athletes,” continued Irani. “And in this difficult year, with the effects of the pandemic still being felt, our main priority will continue to be ensuring safe and healthy conditions for all involved.”

IWF EB Approves Draft Constitution Ahead of Key Congress

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) today circulated a revised version of its proposed Constitution with a view to securing approval for it at the forthcoming resumption of the IWF's Constitution Reform Congress on 29 August in Doha. The draft Constitution was approved by the Reform and Governance Commission on 13 August and by the IWF Executive Board on 15 August. "After the IWF's Member Federations approved the Constitution in principle during the first part of our Constitution Reform Congress, the IWF is grateful to the independent experts and others in the Reform and Governance Commission, under the leadership of Darren Kane, for taking the time to make the revisions necessary to ensure the Constitution can achieve the required two thirds majority when we reconvene," said IWF Interim President Dr Michael Irani. "This version also reflects lengthy discussions on our future governance before and even during the weightlifting competitions of Tokyo 2020 aimed at achieving consensus." Revisions to the draft Constitution, which can be found here, include increased women's representation on the future IWF Executive Board and increased representation for athletes. Considering the importance of athlete representation, there will also be a voting presence for athletes within the Congress. "Taken together, the provisions of this new Constitution represent a very significant improvement in the IWF's governance, an improvement that would see the IWF ranked more favourably in the ASOIF governance survey alongside our Olympic counterparts," continued Dr Irani. "The IWF urges its member federations to examine the document carefully and to come to Doha fully prepared to make the changes required to ensure weightlifting's Olympic