The 1st “IWF Street Weightlifting” Competition will be held in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne in Switzerland on 23rd April. This new exciting international mixed team format of weightlifting is powered by Eleiko and will feature 14 of the world’s best athletes and Olympians from Europe, South America, and the Middle East.
This new competition format sees the two athletes from the same country compete together against the other teams in an outdoor setting providing a unique and exciting atmosphere. IWF Interim President Dr Michael Irani commented “This format can bring weightlifting into town centres and showcases the fun and competitive spirit of our sport. We want to showcase how great our sport is in urban settings”.
“As a long-standing IWF partner with deep connections to professional lifting, we are thrilled to sponsor this event and be part of debuting this new team format for weightlifting,” said Erik Blomberg, Eleiko CEO. “It brings an exciting new dynamic and energy to the sport and will undoubtedly inspire more people to try weightlifting and spark a passion for strength training.”
As part of this inventive and forward-thinking project, the IWF also launches its IWF Athlete Ambassador Program. Four elite athletes have been chosen as role models from the weightlifting family from all over the world to promote, educate, and strengthen equal, fair, and clean sport. The purpose of this program is to give back to the community, what the athletes have learnt through their years of competing and training at the highest level.
As the first Qatari Olympic gold medallist and IWF Athlete Ambassador, Meso Hassona, said proudly “As a top-level athlete, I am thrilled and honoured to contribute back to the sport and the weightlifting community. The IWF is now consistently displaying their commitment to clean, equal, and fair sport and I am looking forward to participating in Lausanne, the Olympic capital.”
Hassona, is one of the four IWF Athlete Ambassadors, the others being Yazmin Stevens (Malta), Hidilyn Diaz (Philippines), and Lesman Paredes (Colombia). Three of the IWF Athlete Ambassadors Meso, Yazmin and Lesman will be competing in the Street Weightlifting competition.
Yazmin Stevens, Tokyo 2020 Olympian also participating at the event in Lausanne, she said:
“I am overjoyed to be a part of the 1st IWF Street Weightlifting Competition. This is a unique event showcasing the ethos of the Olympics, citius, altius, fortius, in the heart of the Olympic city. I am looking forward to being amongst the best in weightlifting, where we all come together for equality, diversity, and clean sport!”
