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2017 IWF World Championships documents are up

The competition documents for the 2017 IWF World Championships Anaheim, USA from 27 November – 05 December, 2017 were uploaded. The Regulations and Forms can be downloaded by the following link. Please note, all participants who require VISA in the United States of America shall apply in their own nation. It is strongly advised to apply for your United States VISA at least four months in advance. For more information, please read check out the Regulations Section 9.

The mystery man of weightlifting born 105 years ago

John Basil Terpak, a weightlifting legend from the United States of America, was born one hundred and five years ago on July 4th, 1912. Although he could not make it to the podium at any Olympic Games, he received many Medals on the occasion of different World Championships. He participated at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin where he finished 5th , and at the London Olympic Games after WWII in 1948 where he missed the podium and became 4th. He won Gold at the 1937 and the 1947 World Championships while he also got awarded a Silver in 1946 and a Bronze Medal in 1938. He was National Champion eleven times, Head Coach of the American Olympic Team in 1968 and 1972 and Protocol Director for weightlifting at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He achieved outstanding results as a coach with his two times Olympic Champion athlete Charles Vinci. Once Bob Hoffman said it rightly, John Terpak “the mystery man of

Tokyo 2020 Technical Visit

After a successful Junior World Championships in Tokyo, Dr. Tamas Ajan, IWF President and Attila Adamfi, IWF Director General extended their stay to have further discussions with the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee. Different functional areas headed by Koji Murofushi, Tokyo 2020 Sport Director paid a visit to the JWC to gain better understanding of weightlifting and the competition before presenting the outcome to the IWF delegation. The most significant parts of the discussions were the operational challenges faced by the Tokyo International Forum (TIF) – the venue for the weightlifting competitions.  Although the venue is centrally located in the heart of Tokyo, being a prestigious and iconic building, the theater style floor-plan represents a challenge for sport specific requirements. For that particular reason, the Organizing Committee proceeded with a visibility study in the hall to test the stage, scoreboard and ensure a maximum spectator experience to be ready for games time. Considering that the Olympic competitions will take place on the 3rd floor, the construction company of the TIF, built the exact same floor in a test lab where a special shock test was conducted. The floor, stage and platform were successfully tested with a specially designed “guillotine” bearing weights up to 300kg provided by UESAKA barbell company. The next step will be to make similar tests at the Tokyo International Forum. For more pictures and videos check out our Social Media

Tommy Kono would be 87 today

The iconic lifter Tommy Kono who passed away last year was born 87 years ago on 27 June 1930. Born in Sacramento under the name Tamio Kono’s family was of Japanese descent. They were relocated to Tuke Lake internment camp during World War II. It was there that he was introduced to weightlifting. Kono had outstanding results in three bodyweight categories being 67,5 kg, 75 kg and 82,5 kg. He was Olympic Champion twice, once Silver Medallist and besides his one Silver and one Bronze medal obtained at World Championships he won six Gold between 1953 and 1962. He won the Pan-American Games three times (1955, 1959, 1963). His greatest achievements were of course his Olympic medals: Gold in 1952 Helsinki (67,5kg bodyweight category), Gold in 1956 Melbourne (82,5kg bodyweight category) and Silver in 1960 Rome (75kg bodyweight category). Kono had a brilliant technique that helped him achieve 26 World Records in 4 different bodyweight categories. He also had a successful career as coach in Mexico, Germany and the USA. In addition to his weightlifting career, Kono also excelled in the realm of bodybuilding, winning the title of “Mr. World” in 1954 and “Mr. Universe” in 1955, 1957 and 1961. He was the boyhood idol and inspiration of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was inducted into the International Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 1993 and also is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame and the Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen Hall of Fame. In 2005, Tommy Kono received the title of “Lifter of the Century” from the

South American Weightlifting Confederation Magazine is out

The second issue of the South American Weightlifting Confederation Magazine is out and available online. It contains information about the latest competitions held in South America as well as the 2017 IWF Youth World Championships. An Olympic overview also highlights the South American athletes' participation while a summary about the modification of the IWF Technical and Competition Rules and Regulations is also included. The magazine is available in Spanish language. Check it out to read

Poland to host compact World University Championships in 2018

An inspection visit for the 2018 FISU World University Championships that took place over the weekend in Biala Podlaska, Poland, promises very compact and convenient Championships for the academic student weightlifters next year. FISU Technical Delegate for Weightlifting, Anikó Németh-Móra confirmed: "For a city of merely 58,000 inhabitants, of which minimum of 4,000 students, Biala Podlaska in Eastern Poland can offer ideal conditions for the upcoming 6th edition of the World University Weightlifting Championships in next September. The campus and the facilities at the University of Physical Education have everything necessary at a few paces from each other: the dormitories for accommodation, the sports hall for the competition and a to-be-fully refurbished weightlifting hall for training. All stakeholders in this event, i.e. the Polish University Sports Association, the highly experienced Polish Weightlifting Federation under the conduct of President Mariusz Jedra, the local University, the University Sports Club, the City Mayor and last but not least the IWF are ready to cooperate and work together to make the Championships the biggest and most successful." The FISU TD added: "The hosts are confident that they will be able to attract a large turnout to a facility that can offer more than just the Championships, e.g. a fully equipped scientific and research background and professional assistance. Update reports will be supplied to the IWF membership at the upcoming Universiade and subsequent IWF