IWF Executive Board meeting in Manama (BRN), December 2-3: main decisions
Under the leadership of the IWF President Mohammed Jalood, the IWF Executive Board (EB) met on December 2-3 in Manama (BRN), some days before the start of the 2024 edition of the IWF World Championships. During the two-day gathering, the main decisions of the EB were:
– Allocation, for the first time in history, of both the IWF World Junior and World Youth Championships to the same city, running simultaneously. The 2025 edition of both competitions will take place in Lima (PER), from April 30 to May 6. As with the 2024 IWF World Youth Championships, also held in the Peruvian capital, two platforms will be used at the same time during the event;
– Approval of an increased level of partnership with the company SBD, producing sports apparel for the strength industry. Under this agreement, the Sheffield-based company will be IWF’s privileged partner in this area for the next eight years. SBD had already partnered with our International Federation at the IWF World Cup last April and will be again present at the IWF World Championships in Manama;
– Validation of the continental IWF training centres/academies: Africa (Egypt), Americas (La Havana, CUB), Asia (Fuzhou, CHN), Europe (Baku, AZE), and Oceania (Samoa). This project, starting in 2025, will allow the preparation, education, and training of lifters and coaches in those locations in each of the continents;
– Approval of the IWF Innovation Commission proposal to introduce new bodyweight categories, from June 2025. In the men’s competition, they will be: 60kg, 65kg, 71kg, 79kg, 88kg, 98kg, 110kg, +110kg. Among women, the new categories are: 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, +86kg;
– Acknowledgement of the encouraging strategy related to the IWF anti-doping programme, after the presentation of the most recent reports by Benjamin Cohen, International Testing Agency (ITA) Director General, and Rune Andersen, Chair of the IWF Anti-Doping Commission. The agreement between both entities was re-confirmed and extended for the period 2025-2028;
– Update on the excellent preparation for the 2026 IWF World Championships, taking place in Ningbo (CHN);
– Praise of the IWF Athletes Commission report, suggesting several new initiatives to facilitate the comprehension and access of the lifters to the IWF information and documentation;
– Confirmation of the IWF Refugee Team programme for 2025, after a successful project in 2023 and 2024;
– Definition of the procedures concerning the establishment of the IWF Coaching Licence, starting in 2025;
– Increase of the amount to be allocated to the IWF Development Programme in 2025. This sum will now be of US$ 850’000, to be distributed to national federations;
The IWF established a 8-year partnership with SBD
– Approval of the principles concerning the establishment of an updated procedure for the IWF Partnership and Licensing programme;
– Definition of the dates for the election of the IWF President and Executive Board: May 23-26, 2025 (location to be confirmed);
– The EB also finalised the voting procedure for the IWF Ordinary Congress, to be held in Manama (BRN) on December 4, 2024. This assembly will namely update the IWF Constitution.
IWF Communications