Moscow to host 2030 World Weightlifting Championships, first Olympic federation event in Russia since 2022 invasion

In brief

• The IWF has awarded Moscow the 2030 senior World Weightlifting Championships.
• The decision marks the first such award by an Olympic federation to Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
• Ahmedabad will host the 2029 senior event, with youth and junior events in Pristina and Caracas in 2028.

Moscow gets 2030 senior event

The IWF Executive Committee decided on Sunday that Moscow will stage the senior world championships in 2030, the federation said in a statement issued from Lausanne (Moscow to Host 2030 World Weightlifting Championships, IWF Says – The Moscow Times) (Weltverband IWF - Trotz Ukraine-Krieges: Russland darf Gewichtheben-WM ausrichten – Deutschlandfunk). It will be the first time the Russian capital has hosted the event since 1983, when the Soviet Union was still in place (Rosja zorganizuje mistrzostwa świata. Pierwsza taka decyzja od początku wojny – Polsat News).

Other host cities

The federation also named hosts for three other championships. Ahmedabad in India will stage the 2029 senior event (Москву выбрали местом проведения чемпионата мира по тяжелой атлетике в 2030 году. Еще два турнира в 2028-м пройдут в Приштине и Каракасе – Meduza). The 2028 youth championships will take place in Pristina, Kosovo, and the junior championships in Caracas, Venezuela (Первый случай с 2022 года. Чемпионат мира по тяжелой атлетике решили провести в Москве – NV). Officials said these are the first IWF world events for Kosovo, Venezuela and India.

Context of Russia's return

No world championship in an Olympic sport, summer or winter, has been held in Russia since the war began (Russia to host first Olympic federation world event since Ukraine invasion – BBC News). The IWF said in June that Russian and Belarusian lifters could compete in all age groups without restrictions. The International Olympic Committee has since eased its position on Russian athletes, and the Russian Olympic Committee's suspension was provisionally lifted in July. The decision on Moscow follows those steps.

Dates and reaction

The exact dates of the 2030 Moscow championships have not been announced. IWF General Secretary Jose Quinones said all bids were excellent and that he expects the events to be a success. The Russian weightlifting federation thanked the IWF for its confidence and said Russia has the experience and capacity to run top-level competition.