IWF120y/12 – 2022: Members of the Athletes Commission are elected by their peers

2022 was a turning point in terms of the athletes’ voice and representation within the IWF. If an Athletes Commission was already in place before that, the new Executive Board and updated Constitution that resulted from the June 2022 elections stipulated that the future composition of the athletes’ body had to be voted by the lifters themselves. Therefore, in December 2022, during the IWF World Championships in Bogota (COL) and for the first time in the IWF’s history, a vote was organised and participants in the event were able to cast their preference between the 18 candidates who were deemed eligible by a vetting panel. As a result of that vote, 10 members were elected, representing the five continents and ensuring a gender-balanced composition (five men and five women). In the early days of January 2023, the new Commission met and elected Forrester Osei (GHA) as Chair. Moreover, and in accordance with the Constitution, three members were chosen to sit on the IWF Executive Board. Osei, Hidilyn Diaz (PHI), and Luisa Peters (COK) are currently EB members (photo), with full voting rights at both the Executive Board and the Congress. This is quite pioneering in the world of sport international federations and brings the IWF to a unique position in terms of its athletes’ voice and representation.