IWF120y/32 – 2024: Lima tests with success the two-platform format

With the steady improvement of the number of lifters taking part in the IWF events – thus testifying on the universal development of the sport in the five continents -, the number of sessions and days at the major competitions has been under consideration. The choice between having more (less charged) or fewer (with continuous sessions from morning to evening) days has in many cases reached its limits, so a new solution was tested at the 2024 IWF World Youth Championships, held in Lima (PER) from May 22-26: the simultaneous use of two platforms in the same venue. This scenario is not new for many national members (who are using it at their domestic events), but at the IWF level, this was a premiere. With one platform featuring male lifters and the other one welcoming female action, this format allowed a faster running of the event, attended by 277 athletes (137 men, 140 women). During the five-day competition, spectators on the site and those following the event remotely could enjoy a more “compacted” action, with fewer stops between the lifts running on both platforms. Athletes, officials, and organisers praised this innovative solution and the system will be used again in the Peruvian capital this year, for the joint organisation (also a premiere) of the IWF World Junior and Youth Championships, taking place from April 30 to May 5.