Weightlifting restores its reputation after inclusion in LA28: IWF president Mohammed Jalood

GENEVA: Mohammed Jalood, president of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said it would be unthinkable if weightlifting was excluded from the Olympic Games as the sport has never missed a single Olympics since 1896.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) reinstated weightlifting in the 2028 Los Angeles Games program at the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, India, on October 17.

"Being in the Games from the very beginning, it was unthinkable for us to be excluded from the Olympic celebration. In that sense, it was perhaps one of the most upsetting perspectives in our history," Jalood, who is not in the IWF headquarters in Lausanne, responded through emails to Xinhua's questions.

"But the shockwave provoked by this possibility has conducted to a profound change in our International Federation. Indeed, it has been quite a challenging road, but since the election of the IWF Executive Board in June 2022, a renovated team was 100 percent determined in changing the culture and the functioning of our International Federation," he added.

Weightlifting was not on the list of the Initial Sports Program of LA28 that was proposed to the IOC Session in February 2022, and the sport might miss the Olympics if it could not meet the criteria of the IOC before the 2023 Session. IANS

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