News

Rio 2016: Sopita TANASAN (THA) W48kg became Olympic Champion exactly 1 year ago!

I feel very glad because this is the first gold medal of this Olympic Games for Thailand. I expected and hoped for a gold medal. I am very proud to have it. Live through the fantastic weightlifting competitions again: Women

Men 56 kg bodyweight category is celebrating its seventy years!

In 1947 - exactly 70 years ago - the men's 56 kg bodyweight category was introduced in weightlifting. Until then there had been 5 different categories from 60 kg up to 82,5 kg where men could compete. At the birth of weightlifting around the turn of the 19th century athletes competed without any bodyweight categories.  In the program there were only two events present: the One-hand and the Two-hands Clean and Jerk. Moving on, in the 1920s the Total results of five exercises determined the ranking: the One-hand Snatch, the One-hand Clean and Jerk, the Two-hands Press, the Two-hands Snatch and the Two-hands Clean and Jerk.  In the 1930s the one-hand exercises were withdrawn and that was the time when the "Triathlon" started to rise, including the Two-hands Press, the Two-hands Snatch and the Two-hands Clean and Jerk. This system survived for a very long time until 1972 when the Triathlon was reduced to the Total of 2 Lifts, by eliminating the Press from the competitions and leaving the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. This 'Biathlon' - also called the 'Olympic Total' is still prevalent in the official IWF events in our days. Between 1920-1936 there were five, in 1948 six, between 1952-1968 seven, between 1972-1976 nine and from 1980 ten bodyweight categories. A new set of categories was introduced for both men and women in 1998: 8 for men - from 56kg to +105kg -  and 7 for women - from 48kg to +75kg. However, in order to reach gender equality, the IWF approved an 8th women's category (+90kg) as of 1st January 2017.

Asian Junior and Youth Championships in Kathmandu, NEP

The Asian Junior and Youth Championships in Kathmandu, Nepal took place on 21-29 July, 2017. A total of 241 competitors from 38 Asian countries participated in the combined 19th Youth, 24th Junior Women’s and 31st Junior Men’s Championships. “The participation of 38 countries is also a record and I am happy that the Nepal Weightlifting Association (NWA) hosted all the delegates without any problem,” Dr. Ajan, IWF President, visiting the event, said. “Hats off to NWA President Ratan Tandon, General Secretary Parth Sarathi Sengupta and the whole NWA team. They have done a lot of hard work for the championships”. Thailand’s Teerapat Chomchuen set new world record in the Youth and Junior Asian Weightlifting Championships at the Nepal Army Sports Complex. Chomchuen lifted 127kg in Clean and Jerk to set a new mark in the Youth age group. Ormila Devi Konsam of India lifted a total of 127kg – 55kg in Snatch and 72kg in Clean and Jerk to win 44kg category gold Medal for Youth. Vietnamese athletes pocketed three gold Medals. Nepali weightlifters improved personal records -Prakash KC has set new Junior National Record in men’s 69kg bodyweight category, when he lifted 100 kg in Snatch and 132kg in the Clean and Jerk. “Now my aim is to win medal in South Asian Games. For that I will continue the training and hard work as SAG is very tough event to bag a medal” added by Prakash. Nepal Weightlifting Association President Ratan Kumar Tandon said: “I was planning to bring an international event to Nepal soon after I was elected as President to help boost and motivate Nepali weightlifters. “ He added “This event will definitely help our development” The IWF was fully satisfied with the preparation of Nepal in hosting the Youth and Junior Asian Weightlfiting Championships.  “Nepal made history with this event, which was the biggest so far hosted by NWA in Nepali sports and I am satisfied with the way the Association managed to organise the competition in their first attempt,” said Dr. Tamas Ajan . The IWF is keen on improving the standard of weightlifting across the globe. “With 192 member countries in five continents and participation in Olympic Games since 1896, weightlifting is a strong sport. We are working hard to develop the sport and to make it even more attractive” Dr. Ajan said. The IWF donated equipment to Nepal, while the Asian Weightlifting Federation provided extra financial support for the

Medal handed by IWF President at the 17th FINA World Championships

Budapest hosted the 17th FINA World Championships from 14 to 30 July 2017: the biggest sporting event ever held in Hungary.  The newly re-elected FINA President, Dr. Julio C. Maglione declared it “the best World Championships ever in FINA history”. Organizing Committee President, Mr. Miklos Sesztak emphasized that Hungary did what many had thought impossible: to organise the Championships in two years. IWF President and IOC Honorary Member, Dr. Tamas Ajan presented medals at the award ceremony of the Women's 50m Freestyle event at the Duna Arena on July 30. On the fringes of the FINA World Championships, he met and held fruitful discussions with numerous high-ranking international visitors and guests of honour; among them  Mr.  Julio C. Maglione, FINA President,  Mr Alexander Zhukov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee and IOC Member and Mr. Pavel Kolobkov, Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation. IWF photographer Jozsef Szaka shot the FINA World's most popular photo shared by over 11,000 on facebook. For more info please visit the FINA official website under the following link.  

2017 Commonwealth & Oceania Championships

With five weeks to go to one of the biggest weightlifting events ever held in the region. The city of Gold Coast on September 3rd to 9th, will host the 2017 Commonwealth and Oceania Championships for Senior, Junior and Youth. This event is also a test event for next year’s Commonwealth Games. The championships has attracted 400 lifters and 150 officials coming from 37 countries. The Organising Committee under leadership of Michael Keelan, the CEO of Australian Weightlifting, have done a brilliant job, especially in assisting countries who require visas to enter Australia. The OWF Annual Congress will be held at the Gold Coast at the Mercure Resort on September 4th . For more info, check out the latest OWF Newsletter! Souce: Paul Coffa, OWF General

Happy Birthday to Aleksandr Kurlovich

Aleksandr Nikolaevich Kurlovich celebrated his 56th Birthday on the 28th of July. He has outstanding results in weightlifting and reached success in Sports Diplomacy as well. Two times Olympic Champion (1988 and 1992) four times World Champion (1987,1989,1991,1994), two times European Champion (1989,1990) and World Record holder twelve times, he is one of those few athletes being able to register such incredible achievements. He finished his sport career at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta 5th under the Belarus flag. His best results are 215kg in the Snatch, 260kg in the Clean and Jerk and 472,5kg in the Total. Aleksandr Kurlovich - born on 28 July in 1961, Grodno -  is the Director of the Representative Office of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus in Grodno Province.  He is also a Member of the Executive Committee of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus and deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Weightlifting Union; Vice-President of the European Weightlifting Federation and Member of the IWF Technical Committee. For his outstanding results entered the IWF Weightlifting Hall of Fame in