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IWF Press Release – Participation of PRK athletes at the upcoming IWF Grand Prix 

The IWF is aware of comments made by members of the weightlifting community regarding the return to competition of athletes representing the People's Republic of Korea (PRK). As an International Federation determined to eradicate doping and deliver a fair and clean sport, we fully understand the strength of feeling on this matter and recognise the legitimate concerns of those speaking out. We would like to remind people of the steps the IWF has taken after receiving entries for PRK athletes to compete in the IWF Grand Prix in Cuba. We immediately consulted ITA (the International Testing Agency and IWF's partner, independently responsible for all the federation’s anti-doping activities) and our legal team on this matter, and were made aware that the current rules do not allow the IWF to suspend athletes for the failure of their national authorities and their National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) to implement proper framework allowing independent unannounced testing on their territory. Moreover, the establishment of a compliant anti-doping programme in PRK, including granting access to international Doping Control Officers (DCOs) is not within the realm of the IWF’s control. That is why the IWF had no legal grounds to not accept entries of PRK athletes to its upcoming event. It must be noted that, as per IWF rules, the PRK Weightlifting Federation provided the necessary whereabouts information on its athletes three months before the start of the concerned competition. We would also like to underline that from 1 January 2024, and upon the recommendation of the ITA, strengthened IWF rules will establish a new system of categorising National Member Federations based on their doping “risk” and will require minimum levels of testing for athletes competing in IWF events, thus working towards an improved level-playing field for all participating lifters. In the immediate term, the IWF will use the opportunity of the IWF Grand Prix in Cuba to meet with PRK officials and inform them of the seriousness of the situation. At the same time, the IWF will ask for the co-operation of PRK authorities to facilitate the access of independent testing teams in their country. The IWF notes that the PRK’s NADO has been declared non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency. While the decision of non-compliance does not restrict PRK athletes from competing in sports competitions, nor does it mandate any testing requirement, the IWF will work hand in hand with WADA and the ITA to ensure proper monitoring and testing of PRK athletes, in particular in the lead-up to the 2024 Olympic Games. If the IWF considers that the level of co-operation of PRK authorities is preventing the correct assessment and testing of their athletes, the participation of a PRK team at the Games will naturally be re-evaluated by the

Athletes Direct Support Programme: one more week to apply!

Following the recent announcement (link here) by the IWF of an Athletes Direct Support Programme, aimed at assisting 10 weightlifters in their preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (FRA), the IWF can confirm that some places are still available! As per the regulations of this initiative, interested lifters have to send their application form to the IWF by no later than May 31, 2023. As a reminder, these scholarships are to be awarded to five male and five female athletes from developing nations and under the following eligibility criteria: participation in at least one IWF Olympic qualification event until July 1, 2023; inclusion in the top-25 of the IWF Olympic Ranking; absence of sanction for an anti-doping violation; provision of whereabouts for the entire period of the programme (July-December 2023). The allocated amount for this project is US 30’000, including US 5’000 personally donated by the IWF President Mohammed Jalood. Each of the selected athletes will receive US$ 3’000, to be distributed in three payments (July, October, and December 2023). The relevant documents on this topic are: Athlete Scholarship Application Form IWF AC Direct Support Program

422 lifters ready to shine in Havana (CUB)

409 athletes from 72 nations (plus 13 Individual Neutral Athletes, following the approval by the IWF Executive Board on May 20, 2023) are expected to compete in Havana, the Cuban capital, from June 8-18, in the first 2023 IWF Grand Prix. This important competition is a qualification event for the 2024 Paris Games, and follows the 2023 editions of four continental championships (Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa), also opportunities for the best lifters in the world to get their “ticket” for the Olympic celebration. The final entry list for the Cuban rendezvous is now available on the IWF website (link here), and at this stage participating nations have still the possibility to enter two reserve athletes in each gender. Overall, each National Member Federation is entitled to a maximum of 20 participating lifters (10 per gender). In accordance with the present list, the top-5 ranking of the most represented nations includes USA (24), Canada and Cuba (both with 21), Egypt (20), Guatemala and Kazakhstan (19 lifters each). After the 2022 IWF World Championships in December, the four above-mentioned continental championships and the Grand Prix in Cuba, the remaining events qualifying for next year’s Games include the Oceania Championships in November, the second IWF Grand Prix of the year in Doha (QAT) in December, the 2024 continental showcases (January/February 2024) and the IWF World Cup in April 2024 in Phuket

IWF Executive Board Meeting – May 20, 2023

Following its meeting on May 12, 2023 and the implementation of the IWF Policy related to the participation of athletes and support personnel with Russian and Belarussian passports at IWF events, the IWF Executive Board gathered today to officially validate the status of the following AIN athletes and support personnel: Petr ASAYONAK (Athlete)                                    ELIGIBLEAndrei FRALOU (Athlete)                                     ELIGIBLEPavel KHADASEVICH (Athlete)                            ELIGIBLEDarya KHEIDZER (Athlete)                                   ELIGIBLEHenadz LAPTSEU (Athlete)                                  ELIGIBLERyna LITOSHYK (Athlete)                                      ELIGIBLEIhar LOZKA (Athlete)                                             ELIGIBLEDziyana MAISEYEVICH (Athlete)                        ELIGIBLESiarhei SHARANKOU (Athlete)                            ELIGIBLEAlina SHCHAPANAVA (Athlete)                          ELIGIBLEYauheni TSIKHANTSOU (Athlete)                       ELIGIBLESiuzanna VALODZKA (Athlete)                            ELIGIBLEEduard ZIAZIULIN (Athlete)                                 ELIGIBLEIhar BIRSKI (Doctor)                                              ELIGIBLEAliaksei FILIPENIA (Therapist)                             ELIGIBLEVitaliy KREIDICH (Official)                                    ELIGIBLEAleh LOBAN (Coach)                                             ELIGIBLENatallia RADUKHOUSKAYA (Team Leader)     ELIGIBLEValery SIZIANOK (Coach)                                     ELIGIBLE All the individuals in this list have a Belarussian passport.   No signed declarations were received from athletes or support personnel with a Russian passport by the end of the established deadline (May 15, 2023). Therefore, AIN lifters and related staff with Russian passports lost the opportunity to enter the upcoming IWF event in Cuba. The IWF gave an equal and fair opportunity to the athletes and support personnel from both concerned countries to participate at the IWF Grand Prix in La Havana (CUB). These recommendations follow the IOC guidelines. The IWF opted for a non-exclusion policy, as it deeply believes that sport is one of the most powerful tools for international unity and solidarity. Within this spirit of tolerance, and while reiterating its unconditional support for the athletes and sport authorities in Ukraine, the IWF established eligibility criteria and conditions of participation at the upcoming IWF event for individual neutral

Tunis, Final Day: Egypt’s Elsayed signs off with record at African Championships

Egypt won three more titles at the African Championships in Tunis, including both the men's and women's super-heavyweights, to round off a week when their top athletes boosted their standings in Olympic qualifying. There was a surprise in the men's event, a battle between the Olympians Walid Bidani from Algeria and Abdelrahman Elsayed from Egypt. Bidani, going for his seventh senior African title, made a good start with a first snatch of 192 kilograms but then bombed out with five straight no-lifts. Elsayed, who competed at Beijing 2008 and took a long, doping-related break from the sport in 2011, broke his own continental record in clean and jerk as he made 185-243-428 to become African champion for the first time. He failed with a final attempt at 245kg. Elsayed finished 88kg clear of second-placed Bilal Bouamr from Morocco on 340kg, with another 10kg back to bronze medallist Lahamadi Maik from Tunisia. The host nation had a popular winner when Aymen Bacha, much to the delight of a very noisy band of his friends from the Tunisian military, won at 109kg - the weight at which he finished ninth at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. "There was a big crowd when I competed at the Mediterranean Games but I have never had support like that," said Bacha. He joined the army at the start of the year and will be in long-term.  The Tunisian Weightlifting Federation helped him to plan his future as it seeks to find employment for athletes after their lifting days are over. Two South Africans made up the field of three and their big team - which included athletes aged 43 and 40 - were able to celebrate on the stage after the final podium presentations. Antony Swanepoel was second on 123-147-270 and Johannes Beukman, who was 34 this week, third on 120-145-265. It was not a good day for Egypt’s women’s super heavyweight star Halima Sedky, who had to make her final clean and jerk to post a total.  She did it, after two failures on 145kg, to win on 115-145-260, which was 15kg down on her first Paris qualifying effort. Estelle Momeni from Cameroon was second with a total of 176kg and Amina Yahiamamoun from Algeria third on 175kg. Egypt had a 1-2 in the women’s 87kg, where Samar Hussein made 105-124-229 and Fatmn Mohamed 97-125-222.  Marie Sunee from Mauritius was third on 85-106-191. Tunisia, the only nation with a maximum team of 20, won the most medals by far but Egypt, who sent 11 lifters and did not compete in the lighter weight categories, won all the seven Olympic categories they contested. This was the third continental championships within five weeks, all of them qualifiers for Paris 2024. Among some outstanding performances in Tunis, Sara Samir led the way with her sweep of African records on Wednesday in totalling 268kg at 81kg, taking her up to second place in the Paris rankings.  Another Egyptian, Karim Abokahla, went into the top 10 at 89kg after his 375kg total a few hours later and Yasser Usama went up to the top 25 in winning at 102kg. Rafiatu Lawal from Nigeria also hit the top 10 in winning the women’s 59kg. By Brian Oliver, Inside the Games Check the updated Olympic Qualification Ranking here Complete coverage of the event: Tunis, Day 4: Egyptian weightlifter Samir “can win in Paris” says IWF President after her Tunis triumph – International Weightlifting Federation Tunis, Day 3: Egypt, Tunisia and Nigeria make moves in Paris weightlifting rankings – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Tunis, Day 1 & 2: Azerbaijan weightlifter claims continental championships victory – in Africa – International Weightlifting Federation

Tunis, Day 4: Egyptian weightlifter Samir “can win in Paris” says IWF President after her Tunis triumph

Sara Samir made a significant move in the Paris 2024 ranking lists when she won her third continental senior title at the African Championships in record-breaking style. If the Rio 2016 medallist continues to build on her 117-151-268 performance at 81 kilograms, China may opt out of this category, especially with Norway’s 87kg world champion Solfrid Koanda dropping down to join in at the next Olympic qualifier in Cuba next month. The IWF President Mohammed Jalood, interviewed on the stage after he presented the medals, told the audience at La Goulette Hall: "It is going to be very difficult for anyone to beat Sara. "I believe she will win the gold medal in Paris for Africa and the Arab nations." No African woman has ever won Olympic gold in weightlifting, and until Samir’s 69kg bronze medal at Rio 2016 no woman from the Arab world had ever won a weightlifting medal of any colour. While Samir did not displace China’s world champion Liang Xiaomei at the top of the rankings, she moved up to second place ahead of Olympic 87kg gold medallist Wang Zhouyu with a six-from-six performance. Samir, 25, made it very clear that she is capable of making up the seven kilograms needed to match Liang’s best total to date, made at the Asian Championships in Korea a week ago. Her first chance to do it could come at the IWF World Championships in Saudi Arabia in September, as she said she will not compete next month in the IWF Grand Prix in Cuba, which Koanda has targeted for her first try at 81kg. With a dominant performance at the Asian Championships, Chinese lifters moved to the top of all five women’s Olympic weight categories and had the top two in three of them, including this one, until today. The maximum quota for Paris is three men and three women, so China will be wary of categories where there is a good chance they can be beaten. Samir was fourth in the rankings before today even though her 261kg total was made in the lighter 76kg category at which she won the world title in December. "When you put on weight you feel more power," Samir said after her victory, in which she set a sweep of continental records. "At 76kg I was always having to lose about two kilograms before a competition, but now I feel stronger - and I can eat breakfast before weigh-in!" There were plenty of entries in the categories below and above 81kg but only one other competing against Samir - Cameroon’s Jeanne Eyenga who made 96-121-217. The Seychelles had a rare victory in the women’s 76kg when Bouchra Hirech from Algeria failed with her final attempt to overtake Joelite Coloma, who made 85-100-185.  Hirech was second on 81-103-184 and Rayssa Djifack from Cameroon was third on 77-103-180. There was more good news for Egypt to come in the later sessions. Last year's 96kg champion Karim Abokahla went straight into the Paris top 10 with his first qualifying effort at 89kg, making five from six for 167-208-375. There could be more to come because Abokahla, 26, made 7kg more at this weight at the Mediterranean Games last year. Faris Touari from Algeria was a distant second on 160-192-352, which will take him up 10 places to 25th, and another Egyptian, Islam Aboelwafa, was third on 161-190-351. The age range among the nine athletes was 27 years, from the impressive 16-year-old Cameroonian Tanga Onana, who made a 320kg total, to the 43-year-old South African Andre Gadney on 259kg. Egypt had a third win on the day when Yasser Usama, third in last year’s IWF World Junior Championships at 96kg, took the 102kg title with a six-from-six 168-208-376 - which will put him into 32nd place in the Paris rankings. The 24-year-old Algerian Aymen Touari, 24, who won the African youth title as a 13-year-old 10 years ago, came close to making his final attempt at 211kg but failed and finished second on 166-203-369 ahead of another Egyptian, Mahmoud Selim, on 164-200-364. Salim Albagor from Algeria won the men’s 96kg on 152-180-332. By Brian Oliver, Inside the