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IWF120y/5 – 2023: Creation of the IWF Refugee Team

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (BRA), an important novelty occurred: the International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team. Consisting of 10 athletes, this important symbolic step was aimed at raising global awareness of the growing number of refugees worldwide. In Tokyo 2020ne the Team comprised 29 athletes (including one lifter – Cyrille Tchatchet) and before the Paris Olympics, the IWF decided to create, in 2023, its own Refugee Team. It consisted of seven athletes: four women - Parisa Jahanfekrian, originally from Iran, but residing in Germany, Clementine Meukeugni Noumbissi (Cameroon/Great Britain), Aline de Souza (Brazil/USA), Monique Lima de Araujo (Brazil/USA) -, and three men - Addriel Garcia (Cuba/Italy), Fawaz Mohammed Saleh Hussein (Yemen/Saudi Arabia), and Reza Rouhi (Iran/Great Britain). At the 2023 IWF World Championships in Riyadh (KSA), Aline de Souza became officially the first IWF Refugee Athlete in action, in the women’s 55kg category. In 2024, the project continued with four IWF lifters, plus two athletes included in the IOC Refugee Team Scholarship programme. Those two lifters – Ramiro Mora and Yekta Jamali – were selected for the 37-member team that constituted the Refugee Olympic Team competing in Paris. At the IWF level, Jamali (photo) was the first refugee lifter to get a medal, earning bronze at the 2024 IWF World Junior Championships, in the women’s 81kg. To provide more stability to the programme, the next IWF Refugee Team will be in place for the period

IWF120y/4 – 1975: Junior lifters compete at the highest level

Marseille, in France, had the honour to host in 1975 the first edition of the IWF World Junior Championships, from then a competition where many of the brightest stars of weightlifting could already shine at a younger age (Lasha Talakhadze was junior world champion in 2013, before build-up a career that includes now three Olympic gold medals). Since that inaugural event 50 years ago, 31 nations in the five continents have staged the competition: after Europe, the Americas held its first Championships in Montreal (CAN) in 1980, Africa in 1983 in Cairo (EGY), Asia in 1994 in Jakarta (INA) and Oceania in 2019 in Suva (FIJ). On that premiere in France, nine events (only men at the time) were held and the titles went to Bulgaria (4), the Soviet Union (3), and Poland (2). The Polish capital, Warsaw, hosted the competition in 1995, which was for the first time open to women. The 50th edition of the Championships will be held between April 30 and May 5 in Lima (PER) and will also constitute an important milestone: it will be the first-ever joint Junior (lifters aged 15-20) and Youth (13-17 years old) World Championships in the IWF history!

IWF120y/3 – 1928: Egypt initiates successful tradition

The Egyptian Weightlifting Federation was the first African national body to be affiliated with the IWF in 1930, a time when its lifters were already shining in the international scene. Two years before, at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, El-Sayed Nosseir wins the first-ever gold (all sports included) for his nation, in the men’s light heavyweight category. It was the beginning of a successful story for the Land of the Pharaohs. Throughout the Olympic history, Egypt has earned 41 medals, with weightlifting being the most prolific sport, with 15 podium presences, including five titles (out of the overall nine). After Nosseir’s feats, Anwar Mesbah and Khadr El-Touni (both Olympic champions in 1936), but also Mahmoud Fayad and Ibrahim Shams (gold in 1948 for both) shone in the Games. More recently, Egyptian female lifters are also making the headlines at the highest level: Abeer Abdelrahman and Sara Samir (photo), who have a silver and a bronze medal each. Abdelrahman was second in London 2012 and third in Beijing 2008, while Samir was the runner-up in Paris 2024 and bronze medallist in Rio 2016. At the IWF World Championships level, Egypt is by far the most successful African nation, with a total of 42 (only Total) and 74 (Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Press, and Total)

IWF120y/2 – 1988-1996: Naim Suleymanoglu becomes a legend

Despite his short height (1.47m), Naim Suleymanoglu is considered one of the greatest weightlifters in history, after being the first to earn three gold medals at the Olympic Games. Initially representing Bulgaria (he was born in January 1967 in Ptichar to Turkish parents), he decides in 1986 (due to ethnic tensions) to flee his country and move to Turkiye, where he received support from the local authorities. Under the Turkish flag, Suleymanoglu successfully competed in the 1988 Games in Seoul, getting the gold and three new World Records on the way (Snatch – 152.5kg, Clean & Jerk – 190kg, and Total – 342.5kg). These performances would remain his best results until the end of his career, but in 1992 in Barcelona, and 1996 in Atlanta he earns Olympic gold on both occasions, respectively in the 60kg and 64kg men’s category – a legend was born! To this incredible feat, the “Pocket Hercules” (nickname by which he was known) also added seven IWF World Championships titles and 46 WR to his roll of honour! Suleymanoglu died in November 2017, at only 50.

IWF120y/1 – 2000: Women compete in the Olympics

While the sport was included in the inaugural edition of the Games, in 1896 in Athens (GRE), only men's events were contested for over 100 years. In 2000, in Sydney (AUS), the door was finally open to women, reflecting the evolution of weightlifting in the five continents. That important premiere was highlighted by the participation of 85 lifters from 47 countries, competing in seven bodyweight categories. China dominated operations with four titles, but three individual stories emerged from the competition: when winning the 75kg event, Maria Isabel Urrutia (podium photo) became the first Olympic gold medallist (all sports included, men and women) for Colombia; Soraya Jimenez (MEX, 58kg), was the first-ever female winner for her country in the Games; and in the 69kg category, the bronze of Karnam Malleswari also represented the inaugural women’s podium presence in the history of the Olympics for

2025-2028 IWF Refugee Team: few days left to apply!

All the candidates to the 2025-2028 IWF Refugee Team have still six days – until February 16 – to send their application to the IWF, in accordance with the regulations published in the first days of the year. In accordance to those guidelines, the IWF Refugee Team – initially created in 2023 – will be composed by two male and two female lifters, to be chosen by the IWF Refugee Working Group. Two additional athletes (one from each gender) can be included in the group, provided they are IOC Refugee Scholarship holders. In order to be eligible for the Team, athletes must be officially recognised as refugees in the country they reside, in accordance with the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) protocols. In the selection process, priority will be given to lifters coming from war zones and areas affected by environmental disasters. The lifters included in the IWF Refugee Team can compete in IWF events, but will not be considered for the Los Angeles 2028 Qualification System and Olympic Games. This prerogative is reserved to athletes with an IOC scholarship. The members selected to the IWF Refugee Team must fully comply with the IWF Anti-Doping Rules and complete all education activities related to this topic. Besides the four lifters, a Team Manager and a Team Physiotherapist will also integrate the programme. Don’t lose your opportunity to join the IWF Refugee Team – send you application by February 16, 2025! All relevant information can be