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The IWF magazine's new issue is available now.

Due to technical difficulties arising from the flood in Prague which had distroyed - among others - the planned competition venue, the Czech Federation saw itself compelled to return its assignement to host the World Championships in 2006. The IWF Executive Board now decided to reallocate the event to

Baku, Azerbaijan Republic.
The Czech Federation will now host the Junior World Championships in 2007, instead.

The IWF Executive Board, at its meeting in Dresden, Germany, 26-28 March 2004 allocated the organisation of the 2007 Junior World Championships to the Czech Weightlifting Federation. Prague, capital of the Czech Republic is looking forward to hosting the world’s young weightlifters to this prestigious event.

The IWF affiliates two new members to its family:

WALES and SOMALIA.

With them, the International Weightlifting Federation registers 171 affiliated National Federations.

The International Weightlifting Executive Board at its meeting in Dresden, Germany decided to allocate the 2007 World Championships to be organized in Thailand. The Championships, which are at the same time the main qualification event for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, will be held in Thailand’s second largest city, Chiang Mai. This town in Northern Thailand was the host of the 1997 World Championships as well.
The Thai Weightlifting Association won in a very close competition against two equally strong bids submitted by Sydney, Australia, and Los Angeles, USA.
The 2007 World Weightlifting Championships will be part of the celebrations of H.M. The King Bumibhol’s 80th birthday.

The Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association signing the World Championships contract with the IWF in Dresden. Left to right: Chavala Suvannachive, TAWA Vice President, Maj.Gen. Intarat Yodbangtoey, TAWA President, Dr. Tamás Aján, IWF President and Yannis Sgouros, IWF General Secretary

22 Regional Weightlifting President together with the IWF President & IOC Member, Dr. Tamas Ajan, the IWF General Secretary & Prefect of Athens, Mr. Yannis Sgouros, and the IWF First Vice President, Mr. Sam Coffa, met in Sydney for the first ever continental weightlifting summit between the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and the Oceania Weightlifting Federation (OWF).

The summit was a great success. It gave the Regional Presidents an opportunity to discuss many matters relating to weightlifting in this region.

The meeting was held at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre, the venue of the 2000 Olympic Games Weightlifting event.

U.S. hero and great champion Bob Bednarski died on 22nd February, 2004, at the age of 60 years.
His victory at the 1969 World Championships in Warsaw remains a memorable event in weightlifting history. He set several junior, later senior world records and was one of the first prominent representatives of the 110kg category.

It is also with deep regret that we are reporting the passing away of Hymie Binder, President of the British Weight Lifters Association. He was a lifelong supporter and worker for weightlifting and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

Following some disqualifications, the IWF has now finalized the results
of the 2003 Olympic Qualification World Championships, Vancouver - and
the team classifications and Olympic qualifications, accordingly.

You will find the official Results and the Olympic Qualification here.

The list of current World Records have also been updated here.

The website of the 7th University World Championships, Frederick, MD, USA is now operational! Please visit: www.2004wwuc.org

The IWF magazine's new issue is available now.

The IWF and World Weightlifting follow old traditions when launching a vote for
The Best Lifters of the Year.

You are requested to forward your ballot to the IWF Secretariat before 15 February 2004 by e-mail, mail or fax.

Download the Voting Card - bestlifter2003.doc (25 KB)

Less than three weeks after the conclusion of the 2003 World Championships, the Greek and International Weightlifting Federations hosted in Athens the Tofalos-Kakousis Tournament – IWF Grand Prix, which served, at the same time, as the Olympic Test Event.

The competitions were held on 9th and 10th December in the brand new Olympic venue, the Nikaia Weightlifting Hall, in two men’s (85kg and 94kg) and two women’s (63kg and 75kg) bodyweight categories. 13 countries from three continents – Europe, Asia and Africa – were represented.

Among the participants was Olympic and world champion Russian Alexei Petrov, Vancouver’s new world champion Romanian Valeriu Calancea, as well as in the women’s field world champions Chinese Liu Xia and Greek Christina Ioannidi. Three of them (Petrov, Liu Xia and Ioannidi) won in their respective categories, whereas Calancea suffered an unfortunate injury which might put him out of training for at least a few months. In the 85kg category a young Greek talent, Giorgos Markoulas proved to be the best.

Young Giorgos Markoulas defeated Chinese Yuan Aijun in the 85kg, with Christos Spyrou finishing in third place before a strong 2,000-3,000 crowd

Triple Olympic champions Pyrros Dimas and Kakhi Kakhiasvilis were both present but only watched the competitions from the spectators’ seats. The Olympic test was passed with top marks. The venue, the Nikaia Hall is magnificent – as Dr. Tamás Aján and Yannis Sgouros put it: “A temple of weightlifting!” The competitions were eminently carried out under the conduct of George Iliou, ATHOC 2004 Weightlifting Competition Manager.

On the stage of the Nikaia Weightlifting Hall, Dr. Tamás Aján congratulates Yannis Sgouros on the magnificent Olympic venue and the success of Test Event

Athens is definitely ready for weightlifting at the Games! The Weightlifting Family can look forward to 14th August 2004 with full confidence and the highest expectations.

Results of the Test Event

The nominations for Technical Officials for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games have now been closed. The IWF received proposals for 125 eligible candidates from 59 countries. The list is now under study by the IWF Executive Board which has the duty to make the selection, in accordance with the IWF Constitution and By-Laws.
The final selection will be made by the IWF Executive Board at its next meeting at the end of March.

More than 500 competitors mounted the platform of the 73rd Men’s and 16th Women’s World Championships in Vancouver, Canada. This time, they did not only fight for the Championship medals but at the same time for their nation’s right to send lifters to the Athens Olympic Games as well.

Weightlifting’s male quota for Athens is 170, of which 27 countries already reserved 120 spots at the Vancouver World Championships, the main Olympic Qualification Event in this sport. In the women’s field, 17 nations booked 57 places with a further 33 to be allocated in other types of qualification.

In the World Championships competitions carried out to perfection surprises abounded. Of the male defending world champions only Wu Meijin, CHN (56kg), Zhang Guozheng, CHN (69kg) and Hossein Reza Zadeh, IRI (+105kg) were able to retain their titles. Among the women only 48kg Chinese Wang Mingjuan could stay on top, with all the rest of the world champions crowned as new queens. Asia was clearly dominant since 5 out of the 8 men world champions represented Asia, and 6 out of the 7 women world champions came from that continent and only one from Europe.

Stars with Olympic gold medals won in Sydney or in previous Games could not find luck in Vancouver. Merely Ding Meiyuan, CHN (+75kg women), Halil Mutlu, TUR (62kg) and Hossein Reza Zadeh, IRI (+105kg) were exceptions to this rule of bad fortune.

Ding Meiyuan of China repeated her Olympic bravura lifting a total of 300kg again. She is, in fact, the only female weightlifter to have ever reached that magic mark of 300kg. Changing his 56kg class to 62kg, Turkish superstar and double Olympic champion Halil Mutlu scored a nonetheless overwhelming victory. Olympic superheavyweight champion Hossein Reza Zadeh of Iran also added a World Championship gold to his rich collection.

On the other hand, some women Olympic champions in the field, like Tara (Nott) Cunningham, USA (48kg) finished in 7th place. Soraya Jimenez Mendivil, MEX (58kg) obtained the 11th position.

Olympic champion Nicolai Peshalov (CRO) moved up from 62kg to 69kg where he landed in 7th place. Double Olympic champion Zhan Xugang, CHN, was eliminated on the clean and jerk in the 77kg. Another former Olympic champion (from Atlanta) who failed to complete the competition was Russian Alexei Petrov. Looking forward to his fifth Olympic Games and fifth Olympic medal, Ronny Weller of Germany (+105kg) got injured in the warm-up and had to retire before entering the race.

The women were responsible for 12 senior and 11 junior world records. Born in 1985, a young woman who will still be a junior in 2005, Liu Chunhong of China set up 5 senior and 5 junior world records in the 69kg category.

In the men’s field Vladislav Lukanin of Russia (also very young, only 19 years old) established 2 junior world records in the 69kg.

Both the men’s and the women’s team rankings were won by the Chinese.

Thanks to 17-year old Chinese LIU Chunhong, the women’s 69kg competition enjoyed a finish with world records abounding.
This extremely powerful teenager flashed her potential already at the age of 16 years. In June 2002, at the Junior World Championships in Havirov she set up two senior and junior world records in clean and jerk (144 and 147.5kg). In October of the same year, at the Asian Games in Busan, Korea, she continued with four senior, at the same time junior, world records in snatch, clean and jerk and total.
LIU Chunhong opened the year 2003 on 12th September with further world records (117.5kg, 148.5kg and 265kg) in Qinhuangdao, China, on the occasion of the Asian Championships.
Just two months later, she had to face rivals such as world record holder Valentina POPOVA of Russia and Pawina THONGSUK of Thailand. In what proved to be an exhilarating contest and with incredible stamina, LIU Chunhong performed six good lifts straight, marking five senior and five junior world records. Her final score of 270kg equals the world record valid until that day in the next higher, 75kg, category.

The world’s two best women weightlifters in the +75kg category, DING Meijuan (1979) of China and Agata WROBEL (1981) of Poland have always put on a big duel whenever they met on the international platform.
At the 1999 World Championships in Athens, DING Meijuan defeated WROBEL with a 285kg result – supported by four senior world records – against the Polish girl’s 280kg total and two world records.
Then at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, they met again and the Chinese was once more triumphant with a fabulous 300kg total (a combination of 135kg snatch and 165kg clean and jerk), and setting as many as six new world records on the way. WROBEL’s 3 world records and 295kg total proved to be insufficient for victory.
Since that day in Australia, the two women will meet for the first time here in Vancouver.
In 2001, in Antalya, Turkey, WROBEL was present but got defeated by Russian KHOMITCH. In 2002 Warsaw, on home ground WROBEL recaptured the title from the Russian, totaling 287.5kg.
Of DING Meijuan’s senior world records, 135kg in snatch and 300kg in total are still intact. WROBEL’s 132.5kg snatch and 295kg total junior world records are still valid as well.

The medal tallies of both superheavy stars speak for themselves:

Women’s world records have been officially registered since 1988. Before the start of the 2003 World Championships in Vancouver, altogether 599 world records had been set up among the women (of them 17 in the current year). These do not include the junior world records.

The breakdown of these (senior) world records:
Snatch: 205
Clean and Jerk 218
Total: 176

The 599 world records are shared by athletes of 17 countries, but China – absolutely domineering in women’s weightlifting – took 475 alone and left only the remaining 124 to be established by female lifters of the other 16 nations. The next most prolific nation in terms of world records is Bulgaria (with 26); Chinese Taipei (with 18), Poland (with 13), Turkey and USA (7 each) following.

That means: the first women’s world record to be set here in Vancouver will be the 600th! Who will be the one to set this mark?

“Eternally young” Yurik SARKISIAN of Australia is now past his 15th World Championships.
The 42-year old athlete had not too much luck at the showdown in Vancouver. Troubled by a waist injury for years, he had to retire before his 3rd attempt in clean and jerk. He finished his 15th World Championships in the 62kg category with a total result of 260kg (115kg in snatch, 145kg in clean and jerk).
Born in 1961, Yurik SARKISIAN has been representing Australia for a number of years. Previously, he had lifted for the USSR and that was when he collected the most medals in his career, before representing Armenia.
In 1979, he was already Junior world champion and in 1980 he won his first title among the seniors.
SARKISIAN is not only the oldest competitor in Vancouver, he also has the richest medal collection: 33 in all.

His plan includes participation in the Olympic Games of Athens – what is more, together with his son David, who wishes to achieve an Olympic standard result at the 2004 Junior World Championships.

In 69kg at the Vancouver World Championships, the defending champion, Chinese ZHANG Guozheng won, fulfilling expectations. He totaled 340kg. While last year he took the clean and jerk (192.5kg) and total (347.5kg) gold medals, this time he was successful in snatch (152.5kg) and again in total (345kg).
In clean and jerk ZHANG suffered defeat by the surprise man of the World Championships, Vladislav LUKANIN (RUS), a junior for one more year.
LUKANIN improved the clean and jerk junior world records previously held by Armenian Rudik PETROSYAN by 5kg each.
LUKANIN is the first new world champion in Vancouver. All the other winners so far – WU Meijin, CHN, 56kg; Halil MUTLU, TUR, 62kg and ZHAN Guozheng, CHN, 69kg – had all won gold medals in World Championships before.
The young Russian’s name is registered against the first world records born in Vanvouver – these were his first ones, too.

On the eve of the 2003 World Weightlifting Championships in Vancouver, the International Weightlifting Federation held its Executive Board meeting and Annual Congress.
Among the major decisions of the IWF was the allocation of future World Championships.
That way, following the 2004 Junior World Championships to take place in Minsk, capital of the Republic of Belarus, as well as the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the 2005 Junior World Championships will be held in Busan, Korea.
The 2005 World Championships, given earlier to Doha, Qatar (host of the next Asian Games), were confirmed.
The Junior Worlds in 2006 will be held by China in the city of Hangchow, in training for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

In 2005, the International Weightlifting Federation will celebrate the Centenary of its foundation in 1905. The festivities will be combined with the IWF Electoral Congress for the term 2005-2008. Budapest, the capital of Hungary, has been given the right to host this prestigious event on 3-5 March 2005.

Delegates from 74 countries attending the Annual Congress of the Federation at the Sheraton Wall Centre could watch a breathtaking presentation of the hosts of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. The magnificent Olympic weightlifting venue, the “Nikaia Hall” is now ready and awaits the World’s Weightlifting Family. On 9-10 December the Greeks will carry out the “Tofalos-Kakousis International Tournament” with participation of the world’s best weightlifters, which event is, at the same time, a test for the Olympic Games.

At the 73rd Men’s and 16th Women’s World Weightlifting Championships, a total of 568 athletes are entered from 81 nations. 224 female and 344 male weightlifters are awaiting the great showdown in Vancouver and going to fight for the right of Olympic participation. This immense field will require an unprecedented series of competitions to be able to appear and lift on the stage of the VCEC. From 10:00 a.m. on 14th November to 02:00 p.m. on 22nd November 2003, altogether 51 sessions will be run – at times parallel in two halls.

The list of entries includes – among the men – 7 Olympic champions, as well as 88 world championship title holders. In the women’s start list we can find 3 Olympic champions (from Sydney) and 46 former world champions.

A unique record belongs to Yurik Sarkisian of Australia, as he has collected 33 medals in Olympic Games and senior and junior world championships (10 gold, 13 silver, 10 bronze). Slightly less – 27 - medals feature on the scorecard of Turkish Olympic champion Halil Mutlu. In third place on this special ranking is Ronny Weller of Germany with 24 medals won so far.

The women’s record-holder in terms of medals is Milena Trendafilova of Bulgaria with 23 medals amassed in previous world championships (12 in gold, 8 in silver and 3 in bronze). The next most prolific medal-producer is Indian Devi Kunjarani, who boasts 21 medals. Both Agata Wrobel of Poland and Isabela Dragneva of Bulgaria can further enrich their collection in Vancouver: they now tie in third place with 20 medals each to their credit.

One of the guests of honour of the World Championships is weightlifting’s unparalleled hero Vassili Alexeev. Between 1970 and 1980, Alexeev counted as the uncontested Strongest Man of the World; winning a host of world championship titles and two Olympic gold medals. Today, we can see him weighing a ‘mere’ 150kg – instead of his then competition bodyweight around 160kg.