The election of the new IWF President Mr. Mohammed Jaloud, Executive Board as well as Commissions and Committees, demonstrates the strong wish of the IWF member federations for a renewal and change within the organisation.
President Jaloud brings extensive experience within the sport; having been a weightlifting athlete for 13 years, working within the administration for 26 years and spending the last five as IWF General Secretary. His goals for the future focus on uniting the weightlifting federation and promoting the new philosophy for the organisation going forward.
While it was essential for some experienced leaders to remain, a total of 12 new members have now join the Board – making for a 66% change in the leadership team. In addition, the female representation was substantially increased above the quota.
Furthermore, three dedicated athlete representative positions are now an integral part of the Board (with full voting rights). In relation to the IWF Athletes’ Commission, since the election of the Vice Chairwoman Hiromi Miyake (JPN) to the IWF Executive Board, her position within the IWF AC was left vacant. Due to this activity, the IWF Athletes’ Commission officially elected Dora Tchakounte (FRA) to take over this position. Tchakounte is an Olympian, recently competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where she placed 4th in the 59kg category. She will now join Forrester Osei on the IWF Executive Board as an IWF Athlete Representative.
The new IWF President Mohammed Jaloud commented on his new role and the new direction of the IWF, “I am looking forward to getting started with my new team. We have been given the confidence and trust of our members to bring positive change and this is something that I am dedicated to doing. There is a renewed energy within our organisation, I have already had the chance to discuss with my team and we are ready to work and start delivering good things for our sport.
We have a lot of new members and a lot of good experience within the newly elected Executive Board. We have a much stronger female and athlete representation than ever before and we are all focused on the future of weightlifting and ensuring that we work with our Olympic partners.”