News

Successful IWF/ITA “Clean Sport Webinar” attracts more than 260 participants

More than 260 members of the IWF family, including athletes, support personnel, and officials from National Member Federations took today part in a “Clean Sport Webinar”, jointly organised by the IWF and the International Testing Agency (ITA). In this successful initiative, participants were briefed on five important topics related to anti-doping activities: anti-doping landscape; 2023 Prohibited List; medications & supplements; risk of using anabolic agents; IWF 2023 Anti-Doping Rules – summary of changes. The webinar – held in two identical sessions taking into account time-zone differences around the world – was moderated by Armando Urban, a member of ITA’s Education Team. From the IWF side, Forrester Osei, Athletes Commission Chair and Executive Board member, and Melody Exhenry, Anti-Doping manager, welcome all those who attended the webinar. “This kind of webinars is essential to properly educate our athletes and respective support personnel, thus ensuring our Sport is protected in the Olympic movement. All those taking part, in any capacity, in our Sport should know that we are doing our utmost to ensure a safe environment and fair events for everyone. I am sure that you will all find this learning time a very rewarding and fruitful one,” considered Osei in his introduction. Urban then briefed all participants on the importance of correctly knowing all aspects concerning the procedure of anti-doping rules, especially the knowledge of the substances that are part of the Prohibited List. An entire section of the presentation was devoted to the risks of having an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) associated with the intake of supplements, with ITA clearly defending a food-first approach to cover and provide all necessary nutrients athletes need during training and competition. After emphasising the rights, but also the responsibilities all athletes have in this matter, the ITA lecturer was also very clear on the associated, severe, and sometimes irreversible risks that the ingestion of prohibited substances may have on the lifters’ health.   Following the conclusion of the Q&A period, Melody Exhenry thanked all the participants for their presence and contribution. “We will continue and reinforce these webinars in the future. In parallel, please be aware that many anti-doping activities will be held during the IWF World Championships in September in Riyadh, namely the organisation of an anti-doping seminar, the implementation of an information booth, and the presence of an ITA Ambassador to provide all necessary data on this so important field. For the ones not travelling to Saudi Arabia, the next available webinars will be staged a couple of months after the conclusion of IWF’s major event,” Exhenry

Executive Board reconfirms Policy for AIN participation at IWF events

Following its decision on May 12, 2023 the IWF Executive Board reconfirmed on July 19, 2023 its policy concerning the participation of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) at the IWF events. If the decision taken in May only included athletes and respective support personnel, the latest IWF deliberation also concerns the Technical Officials with Russian and Belarussian passports. The principle of the policy remains unaltered, as participants under this status must observe a strict neutrality during their participation in those events. Moreover, each of those participants must sign an Eligibility Declaration and Undertaking. Finally, individual checks will continue being performed by independent agencies on all athletes, respective support personnel and technical officials with Russian or Belarusian passports, who are aiming to take part in IWF competitions. Relevant documents: IWF Policy (amended as of July 19, 2023)Declaration & Undertaking (amended as of July 19,

IWF leadership meets ASOIF President in Lausanne

The IWF President Mohammed Jalood and General Secretary Antonio Urso yesterday held a working meeting in Lausanne (SUI) with the ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. The discussions focused on enhancing the already excellent co-operation between the two entities, the progress made by the IWF since the election of its new Executive Board in the summer of 2022, and topics related to preparation for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The IWF highlighted its recent decision concerning the participation of Individual Neutral Athletes in weightlifting events, following the previous recommendations of the IOC on the complex matter. Mohammed Jalood (IWF President), Francesco Ricci Bitti (ASOIF President) and Antonio Urso (IWF General Secretary) Mr Jalood and Mr Urso also emphasised the significant efforts that the IWF is making in anti-doping, specifically the important partnership with the International Testing Agency (ITA), the increased resources and results in the IWF’s fight against doping cheats and the federation’s full determination to deliver a clean sport for the benefit of all IWF athletes. Other subjects addressed in the meeting included the strengthening of good governance principles within the IWF, the mandate for wide-reaching positive reform, and the further development of the IWF’s headquarters in Lausanne. A tangible example of this spirit of reform is the creation of the first-ever IWF Strategic Plan (covering the period 2024-2032), to be approved in September. Finally, the IWF was also happy to report that the qualification for the upcoming Olympic Games is proceeding without major problems and that hundreds of very motivated lifters around the world are doing their best to be amongst the 120 athletes that can compete next year in Paris. The next qualification event will be the IWF showcase, its World Championships, taking place from September 4-17 in Riyadh (KSA). “It was a very fruitful and pleasant meeting. As a valuable partner of the Olympic Movement, the IWF could always count on a very positive collaboration from ASOIF. We are grateful to President Ricci Bitti for his recognition and support of the path IWF is taking now and in the years to come. This certainly gives us additional motivation to continue working in this direction, for the sake of our National Member Federations and their respective athletes, coaches and officials. Working hand-in-hand and in a spirit of unity is the only route to success,” considered the IWF President after the

IWF athletes & entourage invited to attend “Clean Sport Webinar” on July 21

IWF Athletes and respective support personnel were recently invited to attend a “Clean Sport Webinar”, hosted by the International Testing Agency (ITA) on behalf of the IWF, on this Friday July 21, 2023. This online gathering will cover the following matters related to anti-doping strategy: Athlete and Athlete Support Personnel (coaches, doctors etc.) Roles & Responsibilities Anti-Doping Rule Violations & The Principle of Strict Liability The 2023 Prohibited List Medications & Supplements Risks of using Anabolic Steroids IWF 2023 Anti-doping Rules - Summary of main changes In order to cover all time zones, there will be two sessions of the same webinar, one in the morning (09h00-10h00 CET) and one in the afternoon (16h00-17h00 CET). For the morning session, please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tTgIxGohSiWGRY2qTr07HA For the afternoon session, please register here:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i-LM1GHgSmqRO-TCVs3UwQ The webinar session(s) will be delivered in English with simultaneous translation in Spanish, Russian, and Arabic. The Moderator of the webinar will be Armando Urban, MD – Education Officer at the ITA, and the invited Guest is Forrester Osei – Chair of the IWF Athlete’s Commission. A series of webinars tailored to athletes will be launched in the upcoming months. Further information on those webinars will follow in due

IWF announces the 10 lifters benefitting from the Athletes Direct Support Programme

David Liti (NZL) Following the announcement of the project on April 21, the IWF is pleased to announce that it has selected the 10 lifters to be included in the IWF Athletes Direct Support Programme, as follows: Rachel ENOCK, KenyaDavis NIYOYITA, UgandaPark HYEJEONG, KoreaReza DEHDAR, IranTham NQUYEN, IrelandYusuf GENC, TurkeyMaria Luz CASADEVALL, ArgentinaOmarie MEARS, JamaicaDika Loa TOUA, Papua New GuineaDavid LITI, New Zealand This programme aims at assisting 10 international elite athletes with Olympic potential in their preparation for the Paris 2024 Games. These lifters were chosen by a selection panel composed of one member of the IWF Executive Board, two members from the IWF Athletes’ Commission, and one independent member. In its decision, the panel applied the eligibility criteria and requirements set out by the IWF Athletes Commission and at the same time was attentive to select lifters who have a real possibility to be in the Olympics, do not receive a scholarship as part of the IOC Olympic Solidarity Plan and have never been sanctioned for an anti-doping rule violation. In doing so, the selection panel took special care to allocate the funding to athletes coming from countries which do not have a well-developed support system and, at the same time, to ensure the selected athletes meet the geographic diversity requirements set out by the IWF. In this respect, and considering the number, background and weight categories of the applicants, the selection panel took particular aim at awarding the grant to aid the athletes with the greatest needs of it. Since the principal objective of this programme is the assistance of the selected lifters for their eventual qualification and participation at the 2024 Olympic Games, the amount allocated per athlete is to be distributed in three instalments, while the IWF Athletes’ Commission will follow-up on their progress and may decide to re-allocate the funding if necessary, at its discretion. For more information on this programme, please check:IWF AC Direct Support Program

IWF conducts broadest-ever stakeholder consultation to shape new Strategic Plan

More than 250 members and stakeholders of the global weightlifting family have so far been consulted as part of a process to develop a first-ever Strategic Plan for the IWF. It represents the largest and widest consultation in the federation’s history and comes a year after the election of a new IWF Executive Board with a mandate to unify the global sport and reform its culture and governance. The plan will include a new IWF vision, mission and values alongside current situation analysis and a framework comprising strategic pillars and priority actions. The Strategic Plan will be a central roadmap for the future of weightlifting A final version is set to be presented for approval by the IWF Congress in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September on the sidelines of the IWF World Championships 2023. When complete, the document will provide a central roadmap for weightlifting’s global development as the IWF looks to shape a new future as a clean, athlete-centred and well-governed modern sport. Those consulted as part of the project represent a broad cross-section of weightlifting’s international community, which spans 194 countries across every continent. They range from continental associations and member federations to athletes, commercial partners and barbell suppliers. Beginning in May this year, consultation exercises have included a Member Federation survey seeking views on the sport’s priorities and road-testing of drafts with internal committees and commercial partner representatives. Key stakeholders from outside weightlifting will also be offered the chance to review and input in a future phase. The IWF Strategic Plan project is being overseen by a nine-person steering committee chaired by IWF Communications Manager Pedro Adrega. It includes the Chair and Vice Chair of the IWF Athletes Commission, Forrester Osei (GHA) and Olympic Champion Hidilyn Diaz (PHI), who is among the sport’s biggest current names. The IWF Executive Board is also represented by Vice-President Attila Adamfi, while Antonio Conflitti, President of the European Weightlifting Federation is the voice of the IWF continental associations. From the Member Federations’ side, Helga Hakonardottir presides over the Icelandic national weightlifting body. Besim Hasani, independent external advisor and former President of the Kosovo National Olympic Committee, Maria Cseresnyes, IWF Business Administration Manager, and Catherine Inkster, JTA (communication agency partnering with the IWF) representative, complete the members’ list of this working group. "Weightlifting is one of the most fundamental Olympic sports" - IWF President Mohammed Jalood Weightlifting is among the most universal and foundational Olympic sports. Practiced since ancient Greece, part of its appeal lies in its ability to connect modern audiences with the continuum of human performance. While recognising these unique assets, IWF President Mohammed Jalood emphasised the need to avoid complacency. President Jalood said: “Weightlifting is one of the most fundamental Olympic sports – practiced widely as a training activity and enshrined in the Olympic motto, Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together. “But no sport can afford to rest on its laurels in the competitive modern sports marketplace, and the IWF has been clearly tasked with setting a new course for its future. “Meaningful change in sports governance is delivered with effective work and consultation is crucial in this context to build unity of purpose.” For any media inquiry or request for additional information, please contact Pedro Adrega at