News

Pan-American Coaches Continue Their Online Weightlifting Coach Course – Level III

The Weightlifting Coaching Course - Level 3, organized by the Pan-American Weightlifting Federation in collaboration with the South American Weightlifting Confederation and the Coaches Club of America, is part of the 5 Levels of Coaching program that runs from 2020 to 2022. The Pan-American Weightlifting Federation and Sammy Murillo, President of the Coaches Club of America, are the managers of this important initiative that strengthens the technical work of weightlifting throughout the continent. The first weekend has been a success and all participants were satisfied with the learning process. Coaches from Pan-America and Spain have appreciated the opportunity that this online course has brought to them, and they are all keen to continue the course. The Level 3 Course is running for 1 month, between June 26 and July 18. The virtual classes are held on the weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and the level is completed after a successful exam in each subject. The course is taught by professionals in the field and is divided into three modules.  The designated Professors of the course are: - Prof. Jorge Adones (Chile) - Technique and Methodology; - Prof. Claudio Henschke (Argentina) - Physical Preparation; - Prof. Carlos Mora (Ecuador) - Sports Planning and Training. Each course is provided in three languages: Spanish, English and Portuguese with simultaneous translation and explained with audiovisual materials, therefore the course suitable for all participants. This E-Learning system provides a great interaction with coaches and gives several opportunities to properly conduct all topics. The Pan-American Weightlifting Federation has developed an educational platform for everyone to provide access to this course at a reasonable cost, however, each Member Federation of the Pan-American Federation receives a quota of 2 scholarships. About a hundred coaches from the Continent and Spain participated in the Coaches Training Program therefore the Federation reached their goal: to provide more information for coaches, to provide learning opportunities and help them getting better in the field. Coaches are looking forward to the next round that will be held this weekend on the 3rd and 4rd of July 2021. After the Olympic Games, the program will continue with the second version of Level 1 and Level 2

Press Statement on the IWF Constitution Reform Congress

The draft constitution was discussed at length at the IWF Constitution Reform Congress which was held remotely on 30 June 2021. A majority of the Member Federations agreed that the draft constitution should serve as the basis for the IWF's future governance. As far as the fight against doping is concerned, the proposals submitted by WADA and the ITA were approved with the required majority of 2/3. In view of the abundant material to be considered, the Congress has been adjourned and will reconvene so as to be completed before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic

Technical Officials PowerPoint Presentations Are Now Available in Spanish

The IWF Technical Committee has developed several PowerPoint presentations, explaining in a simple and clear way different topics related to the Technical Officials work. It is a powerful tool for improving their performance, but for non-English speaking people it is sometimes difficult to understand. The Pan-American and South American Weightlifting bodies have added in their joint E-Learning Platform a new tool for Spanish speaking people: a Spanish version of all the PowerPoint presentations developed by the Technical Committee. In this way, the excellent job of the Technical Committee can be spread, becoming useful for more people within the weightlifting community. To respect the original documents, both versions (English and Spanish) are published together. All the information can be downloaded from the E-Learning Platform (www.pesasamerica.org) or the website of the South American Confederation (http://sudamericanapesas.org/presentaciones-comite-tecnico-iwf-en-espanol/) More information about E-Learning Platform at

Press Statement on the Positions of Mr Nicolae VLAD and Dr Hasan AKKUS on the IWF Executive Board

After the publication of the ITA investigation report, Nicolae VLAD (ROU) and Dr Hasan AKKUS (TUR) have both stepped aside from their respective roles on the IWF Executive Board, pending completion of the processes related to the Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) that have been asserted against them. In both cases, the ADRVs were asserted following a recent investigation by the International Testing Agency (ITA) that had been mandated by the IWF. Mr. Vlad also resigned from his position as Technical Delegate for Tokyo 2020. Neither will travel to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and their accreditations are being

2021 IWF Youth World Championships – Jeddah (KSA)

After the decision of the IWF Executive Board, regarding the switch between host countries of the 2021 Junior and Youth World Championships, Jeddah (KSA) will organize this year's IWF Youth World Championships between 03-12 October 2021. The program of the Competition is planned as follows: 03-04 October 2021 IWF Executive Board Meeting 05-12 October 2021 Competition As usual, entry submission for the event will be via the E-Entry platform and deadline for the preliminary entries (LONG LIST) is 5 July 2021. Since 2018 it is mandatory to register all athletes before the preliminary entry deadline in case of World Championships (Youth/Junior/Senior). For this purpose, Federations are able to register up to 20 athletes per gender even though the final number of competitors can only be a maximum of 10 athletes (+ 2 Reserves) per gender, which shall be selected by the Final Entry deadline (05 September 2021). Athletes shall also comply with the Anti-Doping requirements and rules of the IWF in regards to World Championships as follows: In accordance with article 5.5.16 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules 2021 whereabouts information of the athletes shall be submitted at minimum three (3) months prior to the event. Athletes who wish to compete at the 2021 IWF Youth World Championships shall submit their whereabouts information for the period outlined above at the latest on 05 JULY 2021. An Athlete who does not comply with this provision is not eligible to compete at the 2021 IWF Youth World Championships. More information on the Regulations and Forms can be

IWF Acknowledges ITA Investigation Report, And Ready To Take Immediate Action

Following today’s publication of the report by the International Testing Agency (ITA) into extensive past anti-doping rule violations in weightlifting, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has acknowledged the findings. As noted in the report, the ITA’s investigation and the various investigations that preceded it have enabled the IWF to get to the bottom of past misconduct, ensure the athletes and officials involved are dealt with appropriately and turn the page. Like the report of Professor Richard McLaren and his team, the ITA’s investigation found that the inadequacies, mismanagement and apparent subversion of anti-doping processes within weightlifting in the past have become historical. Notably, the outsourcing of the IWF’s anti-doping programme to the ITA has allowed for weightlifters and those who support them to have full confidence in a professional and independent approach to clean weightlifting. “Within days of me being appointed as Interim President of the IWF, General Secretary Mohammed Jalood and I signed a multi-year extension to our partnership with the ITA. I said then that the IWF is committed to ensuring the ITA is fully empowered to carry out investigations, with both a clear mandate and adequate resources. The outcome speaks for itself. The IWF is very grateful to the ITA for its diligence in this matter,” said IWF Interim President Dr. Michael Irani. Under the agreement signed on 22 October 2020, the ITA is responsible for independently delivering the IWF’s anti-doping programme, including the investigation and prosecution of all anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs). Meanwhile, the IWF is advised by an independent Anti-Doping Commission comprised of independent experts. The ITA’s report brings resolution in 146 previously unresolved cases over the 2009-2019 period. Regrettably, in 29 cases, it has proven too late to prosecute violations that were not handled in a timely manner for reasons ranging from administrative incompetence to coverups. “I am appalled by what is asserted to have been a complete betrayal of weightlifting and weightlifters by those who had been entrusted with the sport’s leadership,” said IWF President Dr. Michael Irani. “While the IWF is thankful for the ITA’s clear acknowledgement that such craven acts could not be repeated under its independent results management process, thanks to the arrangements in place for some time now, today’s report shows just how dark the dark days of our sport were. To all those athletes who were cheated of the opportunity to compete fairly, I would like to offer the IWF’s unreserved apology.” A number of ADRVs have already resulted from the various investigations that preceded that published by the ITA today. The report of ITA can be found here. The IWF has already implemented sanctions in these cases. The IWF is fully committed to implementing any further sanctions that are confirmed as a result of the ADRVs asserted by the ITA against former and current officials. Over the course of the ITA investigation, it transpired that some IWF and national Member Federation officials had themselves also committed ADRVs of complicity and tampering in relation to certain cases. In the scope of the ITA’s mandate to vigorously pursue all potential ADRVs under the IWF’s jurisdiction, the ITA has thus asserted ADRVs against current and former IWF officials Tamas Ajan, former IWF President, Nicolae Vlad IWF Vice-President and current President of the Romanian Weightlifting Federation and Hassan Akkus, President of the European Weightlifting Confederation and former President of the Turkish Weightlifting Federation. The exact charges and evidence against these three officials are detailed in the ITA report and include covering up, delaying and obstructing results management for certain athletes that committed ADRVs in order for them to participate in high-level sporting events such as the Olympic Games and collusion to avoid potential fines and suspensions. The IWF would like to thank the ITA for its work in carrying out the current investigation. The IWF would also like to reiterate its thanks to all those who conducted or contributed to the previous investigations. The IWF encourages all those with knowledge of doping in weightlifting, whether historical or current, to use the confidential whistleblower reporting mechanisms of REVEAL and / or SPEAK