News

Sri Lankan bronze at Japan's Weightlfting Senior Championships

69th & 21st JAPAN WEIGHTLIFTING MAN AND WOMAN CHAMPIONSHIPS51 woman and 72 men competed in Memorial Gymnasium on Saitama (04-05.07.2009). , 12 Japan senior and 2 juniors (U20) records were broken. (By Marek Drzewowski) ResultsOne Sri Lankan male athlete competed in 69kg category and got bronze medal.He is living in Japan because he got married with a Japanese girl. He met her when he participated in 2008 Asian Championships in Kanazawa City, Japan. They got married in March 2009. The last year's Asian Championships the first visit to Japan for him. - Name; PEIRIS Sudesh- Nationality; (still) Sri Lankan- DOB; 3 Feb 1985- Results (all are in 69kg category)08 Asian Champs (S 110, C&J 156, T 266) 16th place09 National Champs of Japan (S120, C&J 159, T 279) 3rd placePersonal best in SRI; S 123, C&J 161 < Interview > - Where do you live and where do you train now?I live in Kanazawa City and I do training at Kanazawa Gakuin University. (Two of 6 Japanese 2008 Olympic lifters are working for this university.)- What is the first impression of Japan?Japan is cold because it was in April and the temperature was 20 degrees less than in Sri Lanka (10C / 30C).- How do you feel since you live in Japan?My home sick is storng but I feel happy in Japan. As a result of good quality food I gained some extra bodyweight. Before coming to Japan it was 64kg but now I have 70kg. Japanese people are friendly and I am satisfied with my training circumstance with my coaches, Mr. OBATAKE Naoyuki and Mr. KIKUTA Miyoji (Both of them are the coaches of Japanese Olympians, SAITO Rika and SHINTANI Yoshito. Mr.Kikuta is ex-national coach.)- How do you feel after this competition?Although I was sick a week before the competition and my results were lower than my personal best, the Bronze medal is really fine.- What is your future plan in weightlifting?I am aiming at 2010 Commonwealth Games and I am going to retire after the Games.- What is your goal in life?To be happy with my wife. (by Reiko Chinen)

Sri Lankan bronze at Japan’s Weightlfting Senior Championships

69th & 21st JAPAN WEIGHTLIFTING MAN AND WOMAN CHAMPIONSHIPS51 woman and 72 men competed in Memorial Gymnasium on Saitama (04-05.07.2009). , 12 Japan senior and 2 juniors (U20) records were broken. (By Marek Drzewowski) ResultsOne Sri Lankan male athlete competed in 69kg category and got bronze medal.He is living in Japan because he got married with a Japanese girl. He met her when he participated in 2008 Asian Championships in Kanazawa City, Japan. They got married in March 2009. The last year's Asian Championships the first visit to Japan for him. - Name; PEIRIS Sudesh- Nationality; (still) Sri Lankan- DOB; 3 Feb 1985- Results (all are in 69kg category)08 Asian Champs (S 110, C&J 156, T 266) 16th place09 National Champs of Japan (S120, C&J 159, T 279) 3rd placePersonal best in SRI; S 123, C&J 161 < Interview > - Where do you live and where do you train now?I live in Kanazawa City and I do training at Kanazawa Gakuin University. (Two of 6 Japanese 2008 Olympic lifters are working for this university.)- What is the first impression of Japan?Japan is cold because it was in April and the temperature was 20 degrees less than in Sri Lanka (10C / 30C).- How do you feel since you live in Japan?My home sick is storng but I feel happy in Japan. As a result of good quality food I gained some extra bodyweight. Before coming to Japan it was 64kg but now I have 70kg. Japanese people are friendly and I am satisfied with my training circumstance with my coaches, Mr. OBATAKE Naoyuki and Mr. KIKUTA Miyoji (Both of them are the coaches of Japanese Olympians, SAITO Rika and SHINTANI Yoshito. Mr.Kikuta is ex-national coach.)- How do you feel after this competition?Although I was sick a week before the competition and my results were lower than my personal best, the Bronze medal is really fine.- What is your future plan in weightlifting?I am aiming at 2010 Commonwealth Games and I am going to retire after the Games.- What is your goal in life?To be happy with my wife. (by Reiko Chinen)

Successful "100 year anniversary of the athletics club Rorschach"

Daniel Tschan, the President of the Swiss Weightlifting Association summed up the 100 years long his story of the club. In 1909 the foundation of this club was a landmark is the development of weightlifting in the whole country. Rorschach was not only very successful but also had a role model within the association. Mayor Thomas Mueller brought the congratulations of the City Council. He mentioned how the name "Rorschach" was a well known ambassador of Weightlifting in Switzerland. The Swiss Weightlifting clubs brought their friendly wishes and gifts. Club president Raphael Graber was very pleased with the great success of the event and he said this anniversary celebration was courage and motivation to continue working on all levels. The Athletic club Rorschach Successes: 29-times Swiss champion team, about 70 individual Swiss championships, 9 cup winner. For the 100 years celebration of the AS Rorschach the Swiss club invited the lifters of Baden-Württemberg (GER).AS Rorschach won the the friendly meeting 13:11.The three best lifters of the anniversary event "100 Years of AS Rorschach" on 4 July 2009 in the tent of Rorschach are: winner with 320.8 points Yannick Sautebin before David Waldraff with 307.3 points and Oliver Kling with 299.5 points. Resultsby Conny Högg & Martin Graber Image: Urs

Successful “100 year anniversary of the athletics club Rorschach”

Daniel Tschan, the President of the Swiss Weightlifting Association summed up the 100 years long his story of the club. In 1909 the foundation of this club was a landmark is the development of weightlifting in the whole country. Rorschach was not only very successful but also had a role model within the association. Mayor Thomas Mueller brought the congratulations of the City Council. He mentioned how the name "Rorschach" was a well known ambassador of Weightlifting in Switzerland. The Swiss Weightlifting clubs brought their friendly wishes and gifts. Club president Raphael Graber was very pleased with the great success of the event and he said this anniversary celebration was courage and motivation to continue working on all levels. The Athletic club Rorschach Successes: 29-times Swiss champion team, about 70 individual Swiss championships, 9 cup winner. For the 100 years celebration of the AS Rorschach the Swiss club invited the lifters of Baden-Württemberg (GER).AS Rorschach won the the friendly meeting 13:11.The three best lifters of the anniversary event "100 Years of AS Rorschach" on 4 July 2009 in the tent of Rorschach are: winner with 320.8 points Yannick Sautebin before David Waldraff with 307.3 points and Oliver Kling with 299.5 points. Resultsby Conny Högg & Martin Graber Image: Urs

18th Israel Maccabiah Remembers Munich Terror Victims

Over 1,000 Jewish athletes, families, coaches, staff and administrators of the 18th Maccabiah Games in Israel took part in a memorial ceremony to remember the 11 Israel Olympians who were murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics.(The Maccabiah is the world´s largest and best Jewish athletic competition in the tradition and values of Maccabi, emphasizing the centrality of the State of Israel in the life of the Jewish People.The principal mission of the Maccabiah is to facilitate a worldwide gathering of young Jewish athletes in Israel, staging the highest possible levels of sports competitions, and strengthening their connection to the State of Israel and the Jewish People.)The "Munich Massacre" took place during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, when members of the Israel Olympic team were taken hostage and murdered by Black September, an Islamic terror organization. The terrorist group had murdered eleven Israel athletes and coaches and one West German police officer. Israel responded to the massacre with Operation Spring of Youth and Operation Wrath of God, a series of airstrikes and assassinations of those terrorists which planned the killings. Those murdered were Moshe Weinberg (wrestling coach), Yossef Romano (weightlifter), Ze'ev Friedman (weightlifter), David Berger (weightlifter), Yakov Springer (weightlifting judge), Eliezer Halfin (wrestler), Yossef Gutfreund (wrestling referee), Kehat Shorr (shooting coach), Mark Slavin (wrestler), Andre Spitzer (fencing coach), Amitzur Shapira (track coach) and Anton Fliegerbauer a German police officer.Jeanne Futeran, President of the Maccabi World Union addressed those attending the memorial."The true reality of Munich is terribly hard to imagine. Perhaps we do not want to imagine the horrible reality that befell Jewish athletes in Munich. From the outside, we know what happened, but we can never know what happened inside, inside the hearts and minds and souls of our athletes we feel we need to know, but that is what we cannot, or do not want to imagine. Those who came to Munich in the innocence of peace all deserved to live, the 11 who died and the 5 who survived, and the policeman who was murdered, they all deserved to live. They deserve the grace of our remembrance. We must cherish their memory in our hearts.As long as we remember them, evil wins no victory.It is our duty, and that is the truth, those are the only true lessons of Munich."During the Maccabiah Munich Memorial which took place in Tel Aviv, dozens of candles were lit and flowers were placed at the memorial site on Weizman Street. The Maccabiah Munich memorial ended with the Yiskor, reciting the prayer for the dead and the singing of the Israel national anthem - Hatikva. (By Joel Leyden, Israel News

Loss of a great Friend!

The Russian Olympic Committee regretfully informed us that Mr. Nikolay Parkhomenko (74), President of the Russian Weightlifting Federation after long-lasting illness, passed away today, the 10th July 2009 at 9 a.m. Moscow time. Nikolay, awarded by the International Olympic Committee as well as by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), has worked closely with the IWF for 32 years. During 29 years he was 1st Vice President, Vice President and Executive Board Member working always with his heart and soul for the better of our beloved sport. Words alone cannot express our sympathy on the untimely death of our great friend.