The Electoral Congress, when a vote for a new IWF president is scheduled, was postponed several times to first vote on Constitutional reform. The IWF announced the adoption of the new, independently-drafted Constitution on Aug. 29, 2021, which could help keep weightlifting on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games program despite losing 76 spots in the athlete quota — the most of any sport.
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According to the IWF’s press release, Tashkent is the choice location due to its organizers’ proven track record of being “very capable.” Tashkent hosted the 2021 IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championships held from May 21-31, 2021. Tashkent hosted the 2021 Asian World Championships from April 16-25, 2021, and the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Federation (ASF) Congress.
Per Inside The Games, Chair of the Athletes Commission, Sarah Davies, wrote an open letter to weightlifting’s stakeholders and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. In the letter, she says she is “optimistic that we have made sufficient progress for the IOC to allow weightlifting in the Paris Games” as the adopted Constitution gives athletes representation on the Executive Board. Schedule 10 on page 120 of the Constitution also states the Athlete Commission will “provide the voice and view of the athletes to each of the current standing IWF Committees and IWF Commissions.”
IWF Presidency
The Electoral Congress will vote on a new IWF President; current interim President Dr. Michael Irani does not have the support of British Weight Lifting (BWL). Without the support of his home country’s federation, Irani is not eligible to seek candidacy for the presidency. Since the resignation of former IWF President Dr. Tamas Aján — invoked by findings in the McLaren report that show financial corruption and doping coverups — three different people have been the acting or interim president.
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Former IWF Vice President Ursula Papandrea was named acting president when Aján delegated his responsibilities. Papandrea was ousted from that position in October 2020 by the IWF Executive Board. She was replaced by Thailand’s Intarat Yodbangtoey, deemed by the McLaren report as a “vote breaker” under Aján. Two days after Yodbangtoey’s appointment, Irani took over. Papandrea announced her bid to reclaim the IWF presidency in January 2021.
Weightlifting World Championships
The 2021 WWC will take place just over four months following the conclusion of the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. At the Games, a total of four world records were scored. Shi Zhiyong of China claimed gold with his world record 364-kilogram (802.5-pound) total. In the super heavyweight division, Lasha Talakhadze won his second Olympic gold medal by hitting world records in the snatch, 223 kilograms (491.6 pounds), clean & jerk, 265 kilograms (584.2 pounds), and total — 488 kilograms (1075.8 pounds).
The last WWC took place in 2019 in Pattaya, Thailand. China won 53 medals* at that event, 29 of which were gold — more than double the number won by North Korea, the second most decorated country. We’ll see if any country will be able to put a dent in China’s dominance on the medal table when the WWC begins on Dec. 7, 2021.
*Unlike the Olympic Games that only award medals for the highest total, the WWC awards medals for each lift and total.
Featured image: @iwfnet on Instagram | photo via Stephen Galvan for the IWF
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