News

300 Muscle men converge in Lagos

Over 300 lifters from across the country are expected to converge this weekend in Lagos as the Nigerian Weightlifting Federation (NWF) concludes plans to conduct trials for the selection of the best lifters that will hoist the nations flag at the forthcoming Youth Olympic Games qualification tournament in Cairo, Egypt. The Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, is the venue of the national men and women open senior/junior weightlifting championship which runs from February 28 to March 3rd, 2010. Secretary of NWF, Uche Onwumeh said the trials was necessary since it was aimed at selecting the best lifters that will represent Nigeria at the Cairo meet. The President of NWF, Chimdi Ejiogu has called on all states to ensure that their lifters participate in the trials since the opportunity is there for every lifter to prove him or herself. "The championship is open to all Weightlifters across the country since it will be used to select those that will fly the country's flag at the forthcoming African Junior Weightlifting Championship/Youth Olympic Games qualifier holding in Cario Egypt. "The event is crucial if Nigeria must participate at the African Youth Championship where the continental representatives at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games will be picked. Nigeria which is champions of Africa when it comes to weightlifting cannot afford to present mediocre lifters at the African Junior Weightlifting fiesta. The best lifters that will emerge from this championship will be called to resume camping in Lagos immediately", said the NWF Boss. (By Solomon

Jang Mi-ran to Sign Mega Deal with Goyang City

Olympic gold medalist and world champion weightlifter Jang Mi-ran plans to re-sign a contract with Goyang City for an unprecedented W1.2 billion over the next three years (US$1=W1,148). Jang was offered an initial signing fee of W500 million to W600 million and an annual salary of W200 million, which is double what she was paid in the past and the highest in Korean weightlifting history. Earlier in the month, a gym in her name, the Goyang Jang Mi-ran Gym opened in her honor. (The Chosun

New General Secretary of weightlifting for FSM

The new General Secretary of weightlifting for FSM (Federated States of Micronesia) is Manuel Minginfel. Three times Olympian and silver medal in the clean & jerk at the 2006 World Championships in Santo Domingo in the 62kg

Phelps enjoys sidelines

The Olympic swimming superstar is attending the Vancouver Winter Olympics. "I think it's cool to be a spectator," Phelps said in an interview. "I've competed at three summer Olympics and it's nice to see the other side of it. You know what they're going through because you've lived it, so to see how they react and compete is really special." The 24-year-old American swimmer who has amassed 14 gold medals and two bronze medals in the past two summer Games, arrived in Vancouver to make some appearances for Olympic sponsor Omega. He's not an expert on winter sports but knows the names of several U.S. hockey players, including forward Chris Drury, from playing the video game NHL Hitz. He also attended the University of Michigan with U.S. defenceman Jack Johnson and they used to lift weights together. Phelps' quest to compete in the 2012 London Olympics and become the winningest Olympian of all time has him spending more time training out of the pool than in the past, with yoga, Pilates, running, boxing exercises and weightlifting becoming a more important part of his daily regimen. "The big thing is to keep it more interesting and do some things that are not normal for swimmers. It's needed after you've been staring at a black line [under water] for 14 years."Michael Phelps Becomes Youth Olympic Games Ambassador Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps today became the first official Ambassador of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). The 16-time Olympic medallist, who is visiting Vancouver to catch some of the Olympic Winter Games action, will support the Youth Olympic Games by encouraging the involvement of young people around the world. Michael Phelps said "The Youth Olympic Games is an excellent initiative, not only for the athletes competing, but also those who are inspired to get into sport and be more active. I am delighted that I have been given the opportunity to become the first official Ambassador of the Youth Olympic Games, and can't wait to get working with the YOG team to promote the first event this

Korea to Finance ‘Unfamiliar’ Sports

The government said it will use taxpayer money to finance athletes in Olympic sports such as ice skating, hockey, boxing, judo, weightlifting and wrestling, which struggle commercially despite getting the spotlight during international events. The list of 15 "non-popular'' sports picked by policymakers also includes fencing, shooting, gymnastics, cycling, weightlifting and water sports such as canoeing and yachting. The 15 will share some 2.06 billion won (about $1.8 million) in government funds. It is the first time the government will allocate part of its budget to directly support these struggling sports, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Non-student amateur athletes have so far relied on local government organizations, which are required to hire and train them under the sports promotion law, and corporate teams. The governing bodies of each sport also get a cut from the sports promotion fund, which is generated from revenue from state-run lotteries. "We have picked Olympic sports that lack a professional league and struggle from poor training and competing conditions, but in which we are still considered to have a real shot at winning medals,'' a ministry official said. (by By Kim

Oceania Events shifted to Fiji

By a press release coming from Paul Coffa, General Secretary of the Oceania Weightlifting Federation the OWF informs all concerned that the Oceania and South Pacific Senior, Junior and Youth Championships in conjunction with the Olympic Youth Qualification event (Oceania Continent) has been shifted from Nauru to Fiji. The dates remain the same, May 4th to 7th, 2010. The reason for changing the hosting country is that due to the large number of entries that Nauru received, the only flight per week that operates  from Fiji  to Nauru could not accommodate all the athletes and officials coming from the various islands. Therefore the OWF had no option but to relocate the event.  Information, timetable and relevant documents may be downloaded here and from the Calendar.