IWF120y/39 – 2023: A day to be remembered by the weightlifting family – October 16

After some years of uncertainty concerning the Olympic future of our Sport, the IOC held its Session in Mumbai (IND) in 2023, and among its many decisions, one was particularly celebrated by the IWF: weightlifting was confirmed in the programme of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. On the same day of that important milestone – October 16 – the IWF President Mohammed Jalood expressed his joy and satisfaction. Present in Mumbai, the IWF leader considered: “My first thoughts today are for our global weightlifting community – and especially the athletes – for whom this news will be both a great relief and a cause for rejoicing. It is thanks to everyone’s collective efforts that we are here today, and we thank the members of the International Olympic Committee for recognising our unity, commitment to change, and the great progress we are making as a sport. Today is a moment for weightlifting to celebrate, but it should not be seen as an end. We must – and will – continue, in line with our strategic priorities, towards a new future for weightlifting as a healthy, modern, and athlete-centred sport.” The importance of this decision and the way it reflected the positive evolution of weightlifting’s reputation within the Olympic Movement, prompted the IWF to establish the creation of an annual World Weightlifting Day (WWD), precisely on October 16 – the first WWD was celebrated in 2024 by lifters and national federations in the five continents.