News

IWF celebrates Olympic Day 2026

Weightlifting is a sport of patience and progress. Behind every successful lift are many that came before it - attempts that fell short, were reset and tried again. Improvement comes gradually, through consistent effort over months and years. More than almost anything else, the sport rewards persistence. That makes it well suited to the spirit of Olympic Day, whose theme this year is Let's Move, carrying the message You Can Do This. The message is an encouragement to begin and to keep going. Feeling uncertain at the start is normal, and it need not stand in the way of taking the first step. Weightlifting is also one of the most accessible sports to begin. Every lifter, from first-time participant to Olympic champion, starts in the same way: with a weight and the willingness to learn the movement. The sport requires no special background and places no barrier on who can take part, which is part of what gives it such broad global reach. Widening that reach is central to the work of the IWF. Its Development Programme supports national federations through coaching, equipment and technical expertise. The IWF also has a Refugee Team, first launched in 2023, giving displaced athletes the opportunity to compete internationally. Around the world, people take up weightlifting for many different reasons - for competition, for general fitness and health, or simply for the satisfaction of growing stronger over time. Much of the sport's appeal lies in how much it can offer to anyone willing to try it, whatever their goal. As IWF President Mohammed Jalood notes: “Weightlifting changes lives. It teaches patience, rewards persistence, and shows people they are capable of more than they imagined. That lesson belongs to everyone who picks up a weight - not only our Olympians, but every person training in a gym anywhere in the world.” The sport's highest stage remains ahead. Weightlifting will feature at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, where the world's leading lifters will compete at the pinnacle of the sport. Yet the foundations of that achievement are laid far from the Olympic arena - in training halls and community gyms, through the daily commitment of athletes, coaches and volunteers. On Olympic Day, the weightlifting community recognises all of them. IWF

IWF Refugee Team is ready to shine in 2026!

The IWF is pleased to announce its 2026 Refugee Team, composed by three lifters: Ramiro Mora, Clementine Noumbissi, and Fatemah Keshavarz. All of them based in Great Britain and integrating the IOC Refugee Scholarship programme, they will be invited to participate in the IWF World Championships, taking place in Ningbo (CHN) from October 27-November 8. Ramiro Mora - Photo credit: Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia Mora, originally from Cuba, is the most experienced member of the IWF Refugee Team, after being part of the Olympic Refugee Team at the Paris 2024 Games, finishing seventh in the men’s 102kg. His result of 166-210-376 largely improved the performance he had done some months earlier at the IWF World Cup in Phuket (THA), where he achieved 162-197-359. In December 2024, at the IWF World Championships in Manama (BRN), he competed in the 96kg, concluding in the 10th position (166-203-369). Finally, at the 2025 IWF showcase in Forde (NOR), he was ninth in the 94kg. Mora was born in September 1997. Clémentine Noumbissi - Photo credit: Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia Clémentine Noumbissi, born in October 1990, represented her country (Cameroon) until 2022, getting significant results on a continental level – she was gold medallist in the 2021 African Championships, but also at the 2019 All-African Games. She was third at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and took part in the Tokyo 2020ne Games, finishing 11th in the women’s 87kg category. Also member of the 2025 IWF Refugee Team, she competed at the IWF World Championships in Norway, placing 20th in the 86kg category. Fatemah Keshavarz - Photo credit: White Lights Media Fatemah Keshavarz, born in October 2004, is the newcomer in the group. She represented Iran until 2024, having achieved notable results. She was Asian junior champion in 2023, silver medallist at the Asian Championships in the same year, and eighth at the 2024 IWF World Junior Championships (in the 71kg category). The Team Manager of the 2026 IWF Refugee Team is Damjan Canzek, while the physiotherapist is Hussein Elsettawi. The first IWF Refugee Team was launched in 2023, and Aline de Souza became, at the 2023 IWF World Championships in Riyadh (KSA), officially the first IWF Refugee Athlete in action, in the women’s 55kg category. In terms of performances, Yekta Jamali was the first IWF refugee lifter to get a medal, earning bronze at the 2024 IWF World Junior Championships, in the women’s 81kg.  IWF

IWF Executive Board agrees next steps on governance following ASOIF Review

The IWF Executive Board has met to consider the International Federation's results in the Sixth Review of International Federation Governance, published last week by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), and to agree the strategy for continuing to strengthen governance across the sport. The IWF retained its Category B status, with ASOIF noting positive improvements in every section of the assessment. The federation's score rose by 21 points between the 2023-24 and 2025-26 reviews – significantly higher than the average increase of around 10 across all International Federations, and one of only four IFs to improve by more than 20. The result reflects the steady reform the IWF has pursued in recent years to enhance transparency, integrity and accountability. With that progress confirmed, the Board has now focused on what comes next, agreeing a programme of work to further advance its governance structures and build on firmer foundations than at any point in its recent history. IWF President Mohammed Jalood said the Board's discussion underlined a clear direction of travel for the sport. “Weightlifting has come a long way, and this result is a sign that the changes we have made are taking hold. We have worked hard to be more transparent, more accountable and more open in how we govern our sport, and that effort is being recognised. But the Board is clear that we are not standing still. We have agreed where we go from here, and there is more to do. Strengthening our governance is not a task we complete once and set aside – it is how we intend to run the IWF every day.” IWF President Mohammed Jalood The ASOIF review is the most established benchmark for governance in the Olympic Movement. Overseen by ASOIF's Governance Task Force and independently moderated, it measures every summer Olympic International Federation against a framework covering transparency, integrity, democracy, development and solidarity, and control mechanisms. IWF

IWF delegation concludes successful visit to Ningbo (CHN)

An IWF delegation made last week a technical visit to Ningbo, China, as part of the preparation for the IWF World Championships, to be held from October 27-November 8. The IWF representatives included Matyas Lencser, Competition Manager, Timea Horvath, Development and Education Manager, and Zoltan Veres, IT Manager. The group was welcomed by the Organisers of the event, namely the China Weightlifting Association, Ningbo Municipal Sports Bureau and Ningbo Olympic Sports Center authorities. The agenda of the three-day visit included topics such as transportation and accommodation plans, medical and anti-doping operations, TV broadcasting and media logistics, visa procedures, opening and closing ceremonies, protocol matters, marketing and promotion of the event, training, warm-up and competition facilities, and the Technology and Information System (TIS) to be used during the Championships. The IWF delegation had the opportunity to visit the proposed hotels for the participants in the IWF World Championships, as well as the venues to be used during the event.   With less than five months for the beginning of the IWF showcase, the level of readiness and co-operation was considered excellent, with the Chinese hosts reaffirming their strong commitment to deliver an unforgettable event to the weightlifting family. The 2026 IWF World Championships is the most important event of the year for our International Federation and constitutes the first qualifying competition on the way to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. IWF

Cali 2026: Final Entries are due on June 5!

IWF Member Federations are kindly reminded that the deadline to submit the final entries of their athletes taking part at the IWF World Youth Championships in Cali (COL) is tomorrow, June 5. For that, a maximum of 10 athletes (8+2 reserves) per gender can be registered (through the following link: https://mf.iwf.sport), provided they were already included in the Preliminary Entries. All lifters not participating in the competition must be removed from the system. After this step, the Verification of Final Entries will be done on June 22 (at 12:00/Noon CET), exactly two weeks before the start of the Championships, running from July 5-11, 2026 in Cali, Colombia. Also by tomorrow, June 5, and in parallel with the Final Entries procedure, participating Member Federations must transfer 100% of the total payment for accommodation and entry fees to the Organising Committee of the event. All relevant competition documents can be

Legendary champion Pyrros Dimas (GRE) appointed as Weightlifting Ambassador

The IWF is pleased to announce that Mr Pyrros Dimas was appointed as an official Weightlifting Ambassador for our International Federation. This prestigious assignment recognises his exceptional achievements in the sport of weightlifting, his distinguished international profile, and his longstanding contribution to the promotion and development of our Sport worldwide. Pyrros Dimas is a triple Olympic champion, having represented Greece at the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Games. He then concluded his prestigious career at home, at the 2004 Athens Olympics, with a bronze medal. He is the most successful lifter in the history of the IWF and also the most decorated athlete in his country (all sports included). With personal bests of 180.5kg in Snatch, 215kg in C&J, and 392.5kg in Total, Dimas was also world champion on three occasions (1993, 1995, and 1998). In 2009, he was inducted into the Weightlifting Hall of Fame and between 2012 and 2015, he was a member of the Hellenic Parliament. Presently, Pyrros Dimas is a member of the IWF Executive Board and leads our International Federation’s Innovation Committee. A truly inspirational idol in Greece and in our Sport, the new Weightlifting Ambassador will now have the opportunity of reaching a wider audience. “I am very honoured with this recognition and really humbled to be the ‘face’ of Weightlifting among our fans in the five continents. I take this new role with a huge sense of responsibility, as I want to do my best to promote Sport I love in the best possible way,” considered the legendary champion. “Moreover, I will also devote my best energy to reaffirm Weightlifting’s strength and value within the Olympic Movement. Let’s not forget that we were one of the nine founding sports in the first edition of the modern Olympic Games, in 1896 in Athens. We have a long and successful tradition!” added Mr Dimas. The Hellenic ace was recently in Lausanne (SUI), where he had the opportunity to sign the Olympian’s Wall at the Olympic House. On that occasion, the IOC President Kirsty Coventry met the Weightlifting champion, in a ceremony also attended by the IWF President Mohammed Jalood and IWF General Secretary José Quiñones. “Our International Federation had many great athletes over its 120 years of history, and I am certainly privileged to be among those lifters that contributed to our rich trajectory since the foundation of the IWF in 1905. In my different capacities, and since my retirement, I always tried to give back to the Sport the maximum I could. The title of Ambassador is the corollary of that effort. We know that not every child that begins a physical activity will be a champion, but he or she will definitively be part of a happier and healthier world – and that remains the most important!” concluded Pyrros Dimas.  IWF