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National Championships of the Republic of Belarus in memory of Alexander Kurlovich

It has become a tradition to hold the National Championships of the Republic of Belarus in Grodno, the hometown of Alexander Kurlovich. After the tragic passing away of the two-times Olympic Champion, four-times World Champion, two-times European Champion and Member of the IWF Technical Committee, this event was held in commemoration of his memory. The IWF was represented by Eva Balogh, Office Manager and Kornel Jancso, Editor-in-Chief of World Weightlifting Magazine. At the opening ceremony on behalf of Dr. Tamas Ajan, IWF President the delegation expressed their heartfelt condolences to the widow, Olga Kurlovich, the Belarus Weightlifting Union and the leaders of Grodno. The IWF representatives, accompanied by Siarhei Samuseu, BWU General Secretary and Vitaliy Kreidich, Executive Secretary visited the training hall where Alexander Kurlovich used to train for several years, the monument of Olympic Champions initiated by Mr. Kurlovich. They laid a wreath on his grave. The Belarus Weightlifting Family and the sport authorities of Grodno greatly honour the memory of their weightlifting legend, they plan to hold international competitions in memoriam of Alexander Kurlovich each year in his hometown. They - alongside with the widow – continue his work of educating young athletes in all fields of sport and spreading the spirit of Olympism. — Follow IWF: Facebook Instagram Twitter

Watch the FISU University World Championships LIVE!

The FISU University World Championships kicks off today in Biała Podlaska, Poland and will last until Sunday (September 23). All the events will take place at the facilities of the Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education. A total of 144 athletes of 27 countries will compete at the sixth edition of the Championships. You can find out more on the official website of the event here. Live Stream is also available! — Follow IWF: Facebook Instagram Twitter

Get to know… Fernando Reis

Name: Fernando Reis D.O.B.: 10 March 1990 Nationality: Brazilian Bodyweight category: +105kg Major medals (Total): 2010 South American Games (Medellin, Colombia) - Silver 2011 Pan American Games (Guadalajara, Mexico) - Gold 2014 South American Games (Santiago, Chile) - Gold 2015 Pan American Games (Toronto, Canada) - Gold Personal Bests:  Snatch: 201kg Clean and Jerk: 242kg Total: 440kg [caption id="attachment_24023" align="aligncenter" width="563"] Fernando Reis[/caption] -- BUSINESS   1 Snatch or clean & jerk? It depends of the training cycle. At times I would rather do the snatch and other times the clean & jerk. Snatch is a technical exercise, whereas the clean and jerk… it requires more strength and more courage!   2. What do you like to listen to when training?  For me, the music doesn't really matter. I like to listen to hip-hop, but I think I listen to music so I don't get distracted by outside conversations.   3. How many hours a week do you spend in the gym?  I do 2 sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I do 1 session on Thursday and Saturday. Each session lasts 2 hours.   4. What's your favourite aspect of training?  My favourite aspect of training is preparing for competition. The prime of the prime. I like to compete well, so I must prepare myself like a savage.   5. Which aspect of training do you hate the most?  I hate the injuries. In fact, now I'm dealing with a big injury that brings a lot of uncertainty throughout the process. But I like to use injuries as an opportunity to work on something else, something I wouldn't normally do in a training session.   6. If there was one thing you could improve about your technique, what would it be?  Something I would improve about my technique would be for sure my second pull - where I could use more legs instead of my back. By doing that I would be able to keep the barbell closer to my centre of gravity, therefore I would finish the pull more vertically.   7. What is your most memorable lift? I think lifting at home in the Olympics in 2016 was a memorable moment. Thousands and thousands of people cheering my name – it was very cool. Watch our intimate interview with Fernando before the Rio Olympic Games.   8. What achievements will allow you to retire happy?  I will retire after I get my World Championships medal and Olympic medal. After that I will be happy. That means I have to work a lot to achieve those goals.   9. Knowing what you know now, what one thing would you change in your first training routines?  Knowing what I know now I would change my patience. When I was younger I used to kill myself in training. Now I know that I have to prepare myself for war and don't get killed in the process!   10. Who is the greatest weightlifter of all time?   Fernando Reis. I have to believe in myself more than anything. I respect the other lifters and have more respect for those who lift more than myself. I have admiration for Evgeny Chigishev, Khadzhimurat Akkayev, Pyrros Dimas. I like lifters who represent more than just lifting heavy weights.   11. What is the most important thing needed to be an Olympic weightlifter?  Be crazy, but have control. Know that the process takes a long time.   [caption id="attachment_24015" align="aligncenter" width="567"] Fernando at the 2017 IWF World Championships[/caption] -- PERSONAL    1 Describe yourself in 3 words Determined. Resilient. Kind.   2. What other sports do you like to play?  I like to shoot guns. I like automobiles - anything that involves speed.   3. What is your favourite meal?  Steak and fries.   4. If you could only eat one type of one cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Brazilian steakhouse.   5. Describe your perfect day off.  PR snatch and PR clean & jerk. Sauna and then the beach in Miami. That’s a good day.   6. Which person, alive or dead, would you like to have a conversation with? The Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna.   7. Name one skill you would like to learn  I would like to learn how to invest money in stocks.   8. Where is the one place you would like to visit?  Bora Bora.   9. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received? Do the best you can with what you have. Be kind and treat others with respect – everyone is the same unless they give you a reason to treat them differently. Family first.   Watch Fernando takeover @iwfnet Instagram Stories next Wednesday 26 September, as he trains for the 2018 IWF World Championships in Ashgabat. — Follow IWF: Facebook Instagram Twitter

Imagen video management platform selected by International Weightlifting Federation

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has chosen Imagen’s video management platform to host its in-season and archive content so that it can be more easily accessed by a range of users throughout the sporting calendar. The self-serve platform will improve the commercial exploitation of its video library and provide regular updates to fans. Founded in 1905, and one of the oldest international sport federations, the new fully branded IWF Media Portal will enable broadcasters, newsrooms and media partners to access the latest content during competitions plus additional footage such as features, interviews, competition highlights and creative content. The IWF’s new video portal will also empower employees to manage media distribution in-house, rather than use third-party services. The platform includes high-speed file transfer so HD video can be supplied to clients faster than ever before. Employees will also enjoy convenient access to the federations entire range of media (including images, audio and documents) from a single, easy to search resource. Tools to store, locate, shortlist, clip, collect and deliver content are all included in the Imagen platform. Video clips can also be published to the IWFs social media channels to connect with their worldwide fanbase on a regular basis. Charlie Horrell CEO of Imagen, said: “We’re delighted that such a prestigious sporting institution has put its trust in Imagen to preserve its rich archive and play such a key role in its digital distribution strategy.” Lilla Rozgonyi, director of communication and marketing at IWF, said: “Imagen will help us promote our sport and improve our internal operations – it gives us the flexibility to make the most of the media we have by offering more choice to key clients and providing a better service to fans of Weightlifting through social media” — Follow IWF: Facebook Instagram Twitter

Cayman Islands National Championships

The Cayman Islands returned to competitive Weightlifting for the first time in many years over the weekend. Held at the Cayman International School, the Cayman Islands National Championships was the first event held in competitive Weightlifting in living memory. Supported by USA Weightlifting and under the guidance of well-known US coaches, Michael Cohen & Sheryl Cohen, the one-day event went off successfully with some impressive totals contested. The event had equal representation for both male & female competitors. The nation already has both Youth and Senior athletes ready to compete, and they will be seeking to enter their first International competitions in the near

Argentinian Weightlifting Federation elections

The Argentinian Weightlifting Federation held it's annual EB meeting, where Gustavo Malgor was reelected until 2020. Mr Malgor holds the President position since 2012. Gustavo Majaukas was elected General Secretary, while Marcelo Melnick became