IWF120y/55 – 1980: Oceania Federation is born in Melbourne

On November 6, 1980, the vibrant Australian city of Melbourne hosted the inaugural meeting of the Oceania Weightlifting Federation (OWF), the fifth and last (in time) IWF continental body. To lead the newly-formed organisation, Les Martyn, from Australia, was elected President, while Bruce Cameron was the first General Secretary of the OWF. Since its foundation, and with the exception of 1983, 1991, 1995, and 2020 annual continental championships have been organised, gathering the 22 national member federations in the continent. From 1993 onwards, the staging of the Oceania Weightlifting Championships incorporates the South Pacific Championships. The junior versions of these events were first staged in 1997, while Youth lifters have had their own event since 2010. In 1993, Melbourne was again in the headlines, as the first Oceanian city to welcome the best lifters on the planet at the IWF World Championships. In 2019, Suva (FIJ) became the first location in the continent organising the IWF World Junior showcase.  Australia remains the most successful country in the region at major events, with four Olympic medals so far, and 11 podium presences (in Total) at the IWF World Championships.