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Fruitful visit from the IWF to China

In representation of the IWF President Mohammed Jalood, the Paris 2024 IWF Technical Delegate and IWF Executive Board member Matthew Curtain recently visited China to primarily inspect and approve the equipment that will be used for the upcoming Olympic Games in the French capital. For that, Mr Curtain had the opportunity to meet with Mr Zhang Zhiguo, General Manager of ZKC, IWF’s licenced manufacturer providing all the necessary weightlifting equipment during the Olympic celebration. Matthew Curtain (in the middle) during his visit to China During his stay in China, Mr Curtain could meet with representatives of several sport administration levels, namely with Mr Wang Zhiliang, Mayor of Botou Municipal People's Government, Mr Liu Chengliang, Vice-President of China’s Weightlifting Association (representing its President Zhou Jinqiang, who is also the country’s Deputy Sports Minister), Mr He Yiqun, General Secretary of CWA, Ms Meng Bo, Vice-President of the Asian Weightlifting Federation, Mr Wei Xinhuan, Director of Gymnastics, Weightlifting and Judo Sports Centre at the Hebei Sports Bureau, and Mr Zhao Guoyuan, Director of Cangzhou Sports Bureau.   The discussions with China’s national weightlifting body assumed special importance, as the country will be the host of the 2026 IWF World Championships, a rendezvous taking place in Ningbo. Besides the organisation of the IWF’s showcase, Mr Curtain and Mr Liu spoke about future opportunities for a reinforced partnership between CWA and the IWF.   “It was a very fruitful visit to China! ZKC is definitively ready to provide the best possible equipment for our lifters in Paris, thus decisively contributing to the success of the Olympic competition. On a more general note, the contacts with so many officials from different levels proves that China remains a powerhouse in the Sport and is looking to increase its valuable co-operation with the IWF. The allocation of the 2026 IWF World Championships to the city of Ningbo is the most recent example of that will,” declared Mr Curtain. “I would like to thank President Jalood for the opportunity and all Chinese authorities for the excellent welcome and the quality of our discussions,” he concluded.   IWF

Don’t miss the deadline to apply for the 2024 IWF Refugee Team: January 31!

As announced last December, the IWF has initiated the process to constitute its Refugee Team for 2024, by sending all the relevant documents concerning this programme. In accordance to this procedure, the deadline to receive the proposals is January 31, 2024 while on February 28, the IWF decides on the final constitution of the IWF Refugee Team for the current year. The new programme stipulates that a minimum of four athletes (two male, two female) will be part of the team – any IOC Refugee Scholarship holder will be automatically added to this number. As in 2023, a coach/manager will also be appointed to supervise the team’s activities, while next year’s novelties include the nomination of a physiotherapist. In terms of eligibility, athletes must be officially recognised as refugees in their country, in accordance with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and may be entered in IWF events. Asylum seekers are not accepted in the programme. Moreover, lifters are required to have a travel document and must comply with article 5.5.16 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules, by which whereabouts information of the athletes shall be submitted at minimum three months prior to the event. Finally, all athletes and support personnel must complete the WADA ADEL online course before competing and present their certificate to the IWF/ITA. In accordance with article 17.2.2 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules, the IWF may also decide to request that athletes complete education activities before and/or during their participation in selected events as a condition of such participation. The 2024 IWF Refugee Team programme will be effective until the conclusion of the IWF World Championships, next December in Manama (BRN). While these athletes are not part of the Olympic Qualification system, they will be able to attend IWF competitions throughout the year and will be invited to take part in at least one training camp during the upcoming months. Relevant documents: 2024 IWF Refugee Programme Policy 2024 IWF Refugee Team Application Form 2024 IWF Refugee Team Coach and Manager job description 2024 IWF Refugee Team Physiotherapist Application

IWF committee member Keith Morgan is honoured with OBE

The lifelong efforts of a coach who helped women’s weightlifting into the sporting mainstream in Britain 40 years ago have been recognised in the nation’s New Year Honours List. Keith Morgan has been awarded an OBE, a chivalric honour established more than 100 years ago, for “services to sport”. He is a member of the IWF’s Coaching and Research Committee. Morgan has worked with 50 Olympians in a range of sports as a strength and conditioning specialist. He has been involved in weightlifting for more than 50 years as an athlete, coach, talent recruiter, anti-doping tester and competition organiser. He was also technical operations manager at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Among the many elite weightlifters he has coached is Forrester Osei, chair of the IWF Athletes Commission. Osei spent much of his childhood in Ghana before returning to London, where he was born and where he played American football for eight years before switching sports. Morgan, a lifelong physical training instructor in the police force, is famed for encouraging athletes away from their chosen sport and into weightlifting. “Nowadays they call it talent transfer. Back then I called it nicking people from other sports,” he said. Keith Morgan with Jo Calvino Others who switched included Myrtle Augee from shot put and Tokyo Olympian Emily Godley from pole vault, the last two British women to win senior European titles, 26 years apart. Morgan also helped Jo Calvino, who was competition manager for weightlifting at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, to switch from diving. Morgan has coached lifters from nine countries including the United States, Germany, Jamaica, Cyprus, and Ghana. In other sports he has worked with the Olympic diving and decathlon gold medallists Tom Daley and Daley Thompson, javelin world record holder Steve Backley, England rugby player Kyle Sinckler and heavyweight boxing world champion David Haye. “I’ve worked in about 25 sports and been to 20 World Championships,” said Morgan. “It’s been very rewarding to work with so many athletes and see them do well. I’ve had a very interesting time in sport, and weightlifting has always been right at the heart of it.” Keith Morgan with a group of athletes, including Forrester Osei (far right) In 1980 Morgan was selected for the Olympic Games in bobsleigh. He was the first non-military athlete ever to make the Olympic team, but he suffered an injury before the Games and had to stand down. An injury also brought an early end to his weightlifting career, in which he won medals in international police competitions. Morgan, a coach for 50 years, worked with women weightlifters before they were officially welcomed into the sport by the IWF in the 1980s. “I organised the first British Championship for women in 1986, when we had about 60 female lifters,” Morgan said. “It was very hard back then because so many people didn’t want women in weightlifting. It helped that we had some high-profile throwers from track and field, like Myrtle Augee and Judy Oakes.” Osei lifted at Tokyo 2020 and is trying to qualify for Paris 2024. He said, “I got where I am in weightlifting because of Keith, who has been an inspiration and a great motivator. He can be hard on his athletes but that’s what you have to be. “When I first asked him to coach me because I wanted to be a weightlifter, he said, ‘You won’t be able to do it.’ So I trained very hard, made some huge squats and then he said, ‘OK, we’ll give it a go.’ “He trained me at the London Weightlifting Club, which is one of the best in the country thanks to his own efforts over the years. I’ve seen him bring through so many athletes in so many sports from so many countries. Keith really deserves this award and the recognition that comes with it.” Morgan will be 73 when he receives the award later this year, probably at Buckingham Palace. Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said of the award winners announced recently, “The New Year Honours List recognises the exceptional achievements of people across the country and those who have shown the highest commitment to selflessness and compassion. To all honourees, you are the pride of this country and an inspiration to us all.” By Brian

Webpage for the IWF World Cup in Phuket already available!

With two and a half months to go before the start of the event, the webpage devoted to the IWF World Cup, to be held from March 31-April 11 in Phuket (THA) is already available, by clicking here. Launched by the organisers of the competition, it contains all the relevant information for the participating delegations wishing to take part in the IWF World Cup. In this site, you will be able to discover details about the organising city, the venue, provisional competition and training schedule, transportation and accommodation facilities, and of course on accreditation and visa procedures. Event-related news will also be regularly posted before and during this important IWF competition. The IWF World Cup is the last qualification event for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (FRA) and is the second mandatory one for all lifters aspiring to be in the French capital, after the 2023 IWF World Championships, held last September in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). According to the Preliminary Entry status for the competition around 850 lifters from 115 nations are set to perform in Phuket. These numbers will be fine-tuned after the submission of the Final Entries, by no later than January 31, 2024. IWF

José Quiñones (PER) re-elected as Pan-American WL Federation President

José Quiñones, from Peru, was re-elected as President of the Pan-American Weightlifting Federation during the Congress of the continental body, held on January 14, 2024 in Lima (PER). Mr Quiñones was the only final candidate to the presidency, after the withdrawal of Mr William Peña (COL), then elected as General Secretary. A total of 31 National Federations from the Americas were present at the Congress, which elected the following 2024-2028 Executive Board: President: José Quiñones (PER)General Secretary: William Peña (COL)Treasurer: Luis Seijas (VEN)Vice-Presidents: Nadia Alvarado (MEX), Craig Walker (CAN), Jorge Luis Barcelan (CUB) and Luis Zambrano (ECU)Members: Paula Aranda (USA), Andrew Callender (BAR) and Jorge España (BOL)Athlete representative in the EB: Paola Duhart (URU) The new-elected Pan-American Weightlifting Federation Executive Board, led by José Quiñones (fifth from the left) The Congress was attended by several IWF officials, namely: Mohammed Jalood (President), Ursula Papandrea (First Vice-President), Doris Marrero (Vice-President), Matthew Curtain (EB Member), Florian Sperl (EB Member), Yassiny Esquivel (EB Member), Antonio Conflitti (EB Member and EWF President), Mohammed Alharbi (EB Member), Khaled Mehalhel (EB Member and WFA President), and Forrester Osei (EB Member and Athletes Commission Chair). "I am very honoured with the renovated confidence that was given to me by all my colleagues of the American continent. It is a great responsibility for me to drive this amazing community, but I am sure that together we can reach great results and achievements. At local, regional and international level, we are able to deliver unforgettable events and our lifters are also among the best in the planet. This is the result of everyone's work in this part of the world,” considered Mr Quiñones after his successful re-election. Pan-American representatives with IWF officials during the Congress in Lima (PER) “In this so special moment, I would also like to thank the IWF President Mohammed Jalood and the colleagues from the IWF Board who were here in Lima, attending and supporting this Congress. In this Olympic year, I am certain that we will make weightlifting even stronger and more respected worldwide!" Mr Quiñones concluded. IWF Communications

IWF delegation praises preparation of the Junior Worlds in Leon (ESP)

An IWF delegation was in Leon (ESP) this week for a technical visit in preparation for the IWF World Junior Championships, taking place from September 19-27, 2024. Antonio Urso, IWF General Secretary, Antonio Conflitti, IWF Executive Board member and President of the European Weightlifting Federation, and Matyas Lencser, IWF Competition Manager were welcomed by the highest representatives of the Royal Spanish Weightlifting Federation, namely its President Constantino Iglesias, and its Secretary General Juan Lama. From left to right: Juan Lama (SG Spanish WL Federation), Constantino Iglesias (President Spanish WL Federation), Antonio Urso (IWF General Secretary), Jose Antonio Diez Diaz (Mayor of Leon), Antonio Conflitti (EWF President), and Matyas Lencser (IWF Competition Manager) While in Leon, a city situated in the northwest of the Iberian peninsula, the group had the opportunity to visit the hotels that will host the participants in the competition, as well as the venue where the event will take place. The Mayor of the City, Mr Jose Antonio Diez Diaz, received the weightlifting representatives in the Town Hall, where a Press Conference was held and the local media briefed about the details of the organisation. Meeting with the Mayor of Leon Finally, a visit to the CAR (National Training Centre) was also scheduled – a facility where members of Spain’s national team train frequently. The competition venue During the meeting between the IWF and the Spanish Federation, hosts of the Championships, all aspects related to the set-up of the event were analysed, namely the transportation and accommodation plan, the competition and training venue, the promotion of the event, TV production, or the anti-doping and visa procedures. During the Press Conference “It was quite a successful and fruitful visit, which confirmed our very positive expectation on an excellent organisation of these Championships. We were honoured to be received by the Mayor of Leon, proving that the local authorities are fully determined to support in the best possible way this important competition,” considered the IWF General Secretary. “Our gratitude also goes to the Royal Spanish Weightlifting Federation for its outstanding commitment and professionalism in setting-up a great event for our athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators,” Mr Urso concluded. IWF Communications