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Education Seminar focused on the Tokyo 2020 Qualification System

The IWF held an Education Seminar in Tashkent, UZB prior to the 2018 IWF Junior World Championships to kick off tomorrow. Approximately 50 coach and official attended the Seminar. A second one will be held for the athletes focused on Anti-Doping on 8 and 11 July here in Tashkent. Aveenash Pandoo, Member of the Coaching and Research Committee, talked about sport psychology and how to motivate athletes to perform well under pressure. Kyle Pierce, also a Member of the Coaching and Research Committee, held an informative lecture on nutrition, balanced diet, and body regeneration. The third, explanatory presentation about the new qualification system, which the Congress approved earlier today, was delivered by Attila Adamfi, IWF Director General. The main principles of the individual qualification system are: Protection of Clean Athlete Expansion of IWF calendars of Events Sustainable Games-Time Delivery Model It is important to underline that all athletes competing in all new bodyweight categories, which were also approved by the Congress today, will have equal possibilities to qualify.

IWF Congress in Tashkent

The IWF held its Congress prior to the kick off of the 2018 IWF Junior World Championships Tashkent, UZB in presence of delegates from 63 countries. Congress delegates received information on the key decisions taken by the IWF Executive Board on 4-5 July. Delegates approved the reports from the three IWF Committees (Technical, Medical, Coaching and Research). The ten (10) new bodyweight categories for women and ten (10) new categories approved by the IWF Executive Board were ratified by the Congress. The seven (7) and seven (7) selected for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were also presented. They will now be included to the Qualification System for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Following a comprehensive presentation, the Qualification System was officially approved by the Congress. Both the Financial Report for 2017 presented by the IWF Financial Advisor and the Auditor’s Report for the year 2017 presented by KPMG were approved. Future Event Organizers gave presentation to the Congress delegates: 2018 FISU World University Championships Biala Podlaska, POL 2018 Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires, ARG 2018 IWF World Championships Ashgabat, TKM 2019 IWF Junior World Championships Las Vegas, USA 2019 IWF Youth World Championships Suva, FIJ 2019 IWF World Championships Pattaya, THA 2020 Olympic Games Tokyo, JPN 2020 IWF Youth World Championships Lima, PER 2020 IWF Junior World Championships Cairo,

IWF Executive Board Meeting in Tashkent

The IWF Executive Board has concluded its two days of meetings in Tashkent. Following publication of the new set of bodyweight categories, anti-doping and competition development were among the key subjects of discussion. A report was made to the Executive Board, outlining the complete implementation of the Independent Clean Sport Commission’s recommendations and a report by the Independent Monitoring Group confirmed the progress made by suspended IWF Member Federations (MFs). A further report described the ongoing work of the Anti-Doping Commission. On the recommendation of the Sport Programme Commission, the EB agreed to the development of an athlete centred, sport focused IWF Strategic Plan and on the applied methodology to establish the World and Olympic standards according to the new bodyweight categories. New hosts were agreed for future events, notably the 2020 IWF Youth World Championships which will be held in Lima, PER and the 2020 IWF Junior World Championships which will be held in Cairo, EGY. A change of location was also agreed for the 2019 IWF Youth World Championships, which will now be held in Las Vegas, USA instead of Anaheim. The EB expressed its gratitude to MFs for supporting these candidatures, all of which promise to deliver competitions of the highest quality. The EB also expressed its satisfaction at preparations for the forthcoming Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. The official announcement was made about ZKC being the official sport equipment supplier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Executive Board approved the 2017 Financial Report and received information on the solid financial background of the federation with secured reserves. The EB also considered reports on development and education, on communications and marketing, and on women’s

New Bodyweight Categories Approved by the IWF Executive Board

Ten (10) new bodyweight categories for women and ten (10) new categories for men were approved by the IWF Executive Board and will now be submitted to the IWF Congress for ratification. Seven (7) of each of these categories were also approved for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Junior and Senior Bodyweight Categories: Men Women IWF CATEGORIES OLYMPIC IWF CATEGORIES OLYMPIC 55 61 45 49 61 67 49 55 67 73 55 59 73 81 59 64 81 96 64 76 89 109 71 87 96 +109 76 +87 102 81 109 87 +109 +87 Youth Bodyweight Categories: Men Women 49 40 55 45 61 49 67 55 73 59 81 64 89 71 96 76 102 81 +102 +81  

Which of Today’s Stars Succeeded at the Junior World Championships?

More than 300 young men and women from a total of 53 countries are expected to gather in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, for the 2018 IWF Junior World Championships this week. With the event running from July 6-14, a selection of top emerging talents in weightlifting will be following in the footsteps of the sport’s greats who have risen to greatness through past events. From last year’s crop of gold medal-winners at the IWF Junior World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, it's clear they have used their triumphs to help them succeed at senior level. Graduating to success [caption id="attachment_22933" align="alignleft" width="275"] A confident Yeison Lopez in 2017[/caption] In the men’s competition, Colombian Yeison Lopez, who claimed gold in the 77kg bodyweight category at last year’s Junior World Championships, followed up his success with a gold in the same category at the Pan-American Championships a month later. Meanwhile several athletes from the women’s competition last year have gone on to become serious medal contenders in the sport’s senior events. Thailand’s Thunya Sukcharoen said she was “overwhelmed” after she followed up her gold in the 48kg category in Tokyo with the top lift in the snatch and a second place Total at the 2017 IWF World Championships in Anaheim, USA. [caption id="attachment_20765" align="alignright" width="176"] Rebeka Koha in Anaheim[/caption] Meanwhile, gold in the 58kg at last year’s Junior World Championships provided a launchpad for Latvian Rebeka Koha, who went on to claim a bronze in the same category at the World Championships and a gold at the European Championships earlier this year. For Neisi Dajomes of Ecuador, topping the podium in the 75kg last year led toimpressive silver medals at the 2017 South American Championships and World Championships before a gold rush this year at the Pan-American Championships, South American Games and South American Championships. So who else dominated in past editions of the Junior World Championships? Lasha Talakhadze [caption id="attachment_22924" align="alignleft" width="275"] Lasha in Lima, 2013[/caption] Lasha got a taste for gold on the world stage for the first time at the 2013 Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru. A sensational display in the +105kg category five years ago was a sign of things to come for the Georgian, who has gone on to claim one Olympic title, two golds at the World Championships, three golds at the European Championships and the 2017 IWF Lifter of the Year Award. Behdad Salimi Still only 28, Behdad has topped the podium at the 2012 Olympic Games, two World Championships, two Asian Games and three Asian Championships so far during a glittering career. However, his first major triumph came at the 2009 Junior World Championships in Bucharest, Romania, where he claimed top spot a year after finishing third at the previous edition of the Championships in Cali, Colombia. Leidy Solis [caption id="attachment_20814" align="alignright" width="274"] Leidy Solis wins gold in Anaheim[/caption] At the 2007 Junior World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Colombia’s Leidy Solis won gold to mark her first major success on the international stage. A full decade later, at the World Championships in Anaheim, Solis fulfilled a career-long goal by becoming world champion in the same bodyweight category – and in the process became the first athlete from Latin America to stand on the podium in this Women's 69kg. Anastasiia Hotfrid It's worth remembering that it isn’t all about first place at the Junior World Championships. Anastasiia Hotfrid had to settle for second at the 2016 edition in front of her home fans in Tbilisi, Georgia. However, she has not looked back since, claiming gold in the Women's 90kg at the 2017 World Championships and topping the podium again at the European Championships earlier this year. The Junior World Championships is a clear marker for future stars of weightlifting. It's a platform for the best and brightest juniors to show what they're capable of. Who will make a name for themselves in Tashkent? The 2018 IWF Junior World Championships will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 7-14 July. Follow IWF on social media and on iwf.net for updates. — Follow IWF: Facebook Instagram Twitter

Olympic Day in Myanmar

The Myanmar Weightlifting Federation held a Youth Weightlifting Competition to join the 2018 Olympic Day movement at their training hall in Yangon on 16 June. With the support of the Myanmar Olympic Committee, 40 youth lifters took part in this celebratory event. The competition happened in the presence of Mr Min Thu Htet, WMF Vice President, Mr Thi Han, MWF Secretary General, Mr Ba La Kyaw Thu, Vice Principal Of The Institute Of Sports And Physical Education. MWF Executive Members and other visitors also attended. — Follow IWF: Facebook Instagram Twitter