News

VACARCIUC AS POLITICIAN

Among members of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova elected this spring you find Vadim Vacarciuc, teacher, trainer, Vice-president of the Moldova Weightlifting FederationHe participated four Olympic Games. He was ranked 5th in Atlanta and in Sydney. In Athens he was eliminated after his three unsuccessful snatch attempts. In 2008 Beijing Olympics he achieved 12th position at age of 35.Vadim Vacarciuc had the following podium finishes at major championships: 3rd in the 1995 World Championships Light-Heavyweight class (375.0 kg); 3rd in the 2003 World Championships Middle-Heavyweight class (400.0 kg); 3rd in the 1994 European Championships Light-Heavyweight class (370.0 kg); 2nd in the 2000 European Championships Middle-Heavyweight class (395.0 kg). In 2003 Vancouver World Championships he was ranked No 1. in clean and jerk (222.5, 94 kg

Selection trials in India and in USA

Open Selection trials, Pune from 8-10 Aug Selection trials for Commonwealth Senior Championships at Penang, Malaysia from 18-23 Oct 09 and World Weightlifting Championships at Goyang City, Korea from 17-27 Nov 09 from the CORE GROUP under ACTC scheme will be held at Army Sports Institute, Ghorpadi, Mundwa Post, Pune from 08-10 Aug. The trials will be conducted amongst the CORE GROUP members already training in the camp at ASI, Pune and SAI, South Centre, Bangalore. Those earlier in the Core Group who had to leave for academic or official reasons and duly approved by the Federation, may apply to the Federation well in time for considering their cases on merit. But this does not guarantee their participation unless specifically intimated to them by the Federation in advance. The selection criteria as approved by the Steering Committee earlier will hold good for these trials. Mere flash performance of higher total will not be the only basis of their selection. The Foreign coaching Adviser's professional advice on performance analysis and potential will be given due weightage in the Selection.  Selection trials for Commonwealth Junior Championships at Penang, Malaysia from 18-23 Oct 09 and Asian Youth & Junior Championships at Pune from 16-26 Dec 09 are scheduled to be held at Army Sports Institute, Ghorpadi, Mundwa Post, Pune from 08-10 Aug. Mr. Harnam Singh, the National Coach will coordinate the trials. More than 1 body weight category can be combined in one batch. All competitors are therefore advised to be available at Army Sports Institute, Pune before 0800 hours on 08 Aug 09. Mr. Imre Zsuga will monitor the trials and note the performance potential and analysis for final selection. No allowance in body weight will be admissible for any category under any circumstances. (Indian Weightlifting Federation) The Rodger DeGarmo Memorial/World Team Secondary Qualifier The World Team Secondary Qualifier is now scheduled for August 29-30, 2009 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The schedule has been changed, as the event was previously scheduled for July 30- August 1. NEW: All athletes who attended the 2009 National Championships (the Primary Qualifying Event for the 2009 World Championships) will now be eligible to compete in the World Team Secondary Qualifier to be held in Colorado Springs, August 29-30. Please disregard the World Team Secondary Qualifier ranking list and the top 15 invitational mentioned above (now crossed out). The entry form for this event, aka The Rodger DeGarmo Memorial, will be available soon. A revised World Championship ranking list is now available: 2009_World_Championship_Ranking.xls (USA Weightlifting Federation)  

25th Anniversary Celebration of the Los Angeles Olympic Games

25 Years Ago Los Angeles Made Olympic History...You are invited to a gala dinner and programcelebrating the 25th anniversary of the1984 Olympic Games.This special event will be held on the floor ofthe famed Los Angeles Memorial Coliseumand also will serve as a reunionfor LAOOC employees and volunteers.Sponsored by:The Southern California Committee for the Olympic GamesandThe Los Angeles Sports CouncilPlease save the date!SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2009For information and tickets, please call (213) 482-6352 or update your contact information or to register your friends so that everyone can be included! Among the many innovations and memorable features of the 1984 Olympic Games were: In competition, 6,829 athletes from 140 countries took part in the Games. For the first time, volunteers comprised a significant portion of the Games workforce. Approximately 30,000 volunteers were part of the staffing plan. The dates for the Games (July 28 - August 12) were virtually identical to those for the first Los Angeles Olympic Games of 1932 (July 30 - August 14). In both cases, the Opening Ceremony was held on a Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. For the first time since the Los Angeles Olympic Games of 1932, the Games finished in the black financially. The Organizing Committee realized a surplus of $235 million. The Organizing Committee received no revenues from taxes. The primary revenue sources were television rights sales, ticket sales and sponsorships. A record 5.7 million tickets were sold, or 83% of capacity. Los Angeles was permitted to add two "demonstration sports" to the program and selected baseball and tennis, both of which subsequently were added to the Games as medal sports. The first-ever Olympic women's marathon was held. A 10-week Olympic Arts Festival preceded the Games and celebrated the cultural richness of Los Angeles and The United States through well-attended programs in dance, music, theater and visual arts. The 1984 Games were the first to use colorful themed graphics to surround the field of play at each venue. The term "look of the Games" came into common usage as a result of Los Angeles' innovative design program. (http://www.the84games.com)

Pan American Championships: WATCH VIDEOS

You can follow the competititons of Pan American Championship on

Mediterranean Confederation elects New Executive and accepts Fair Play Charter

On 28th June, in Pescara, Italy, in connection with the Mediterranean Games, the Mediterranean Weightlifting Confederation held its Congress. In the presence of Dr. Tamás Aján, IWF President and Dr. Antonio Urso, EWF President, as well as 14 member countries, a new Executive Board was elected to the Confederation. MWC Executive Board President: Maurizio Lo Buono (ITA)General Secretary: Damianos Hadjidamianou (CYP) The Congress also approved a Fair Play Charter.

Finnish Weightlifting Federation 75 year gala.

75 years of Finnish WeightliftingOn a beautiful summer day on June 28, 2009 in Pori, Finland, the 'Who's Who' of Finnish weightlifting gathered together to celebrate 75 years of Finnish Weightlifting. The first weightlifting competition had been held over a hundred years ago back in November of 1892, but on November 25, 1934, the Federation began its existence. Mr. Bruno Nyberg, the Father of Finnish Weightlifting, read out loud the historic words of birth.75 years later President Esa Lomma spoke in honor of all successful Finnish lifters such as European, World and Olympic Champion Mr. Kaarlo Kangasniemi, European and World Champions Mr. Kauko Kangasniemi and Mrs. Karoliina Lundahl as well as the first ever Finnish European Champion Mr. Eino Mäkinen, still young as ever at 84. Together with other medalists and record breakers toasting the vibrant federation was a room full of weightlifting enthusiasts, government officials and the Finnish Olympic Committee. Many were recognized of their relentless work to our beloved sport: internationally the IWF Golden Medal was given out to Mr. Matti Everi and IWF Silver Medals went to Mr. Ahti Hämäläinen and Mr. Matti Kitunen.Finnish weightlifting has had many glorious performances. After an afternoon of basking in the sun of the glory days it is time to return to work to build a modern training system within the country. Already in place are the Olympic Training Center in Vierumäki just outside Lahti, home of 1998 World Championships, a modern coaching development center, and athletes who yearn to learn more about weightlifting from the heroes of the past. Finns have always been known to step up to the challenge: the next task is making unknown names the heroes of the