No.139 OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF INTERNATIONAL WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION WEIGHTLIFTING AGE: 16 AMERICA’S NEW HOPEFUL CATEGORY: 69KG 2016: JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPION, YOUTH WORLD CHAMPION, CJ CUMMINGS 4 YOUTH WORLD RECORDS PHOTO: JÓZSEF SZAKA, IWF SZAKA, JÓZSEF PHOTO: th 2016 JWC 2016 YWC 5 WORLD UNIVERSITY WOMEN’S PAGE MASTERS TECHNICAL TBILISI PENANG CHAMPIONSHIPS MERIDA CORNER Published by International Weightlifting Federation DR. TAMÁS AJÁN IWF President IOC Honorary Member MA WENGUANG IWF General Secretary Editor-in-Chief KORNÉL JANCSÓ Senior Editor ANIKÓ NÉMETH-MÓRA Communication Director LILLA ROZGONYI Photos JÓZSEF SZAKA Art Editor Crazy Panda Studio Graphic Design Marcell Studio (www.marcelltamas.hu) Spanish & Russian Editions DAVID COLON ARROYO MARINA SHAFIT CONTENTS No. 139 ÁGNES LUKÁCSFALVI 02-03 | Foreword Printed by TypoNova 04-16 | 2016 Junior World Championships - Tbilisi (www.typonova.hu) 18 | Interview with Kakhi Kakhiashvili All communications: [email protected] 19 | Remembering Tbilisi - pictorial www.iwf.net 20-23 | Women’s Page - The long journey of women’s facebook.com/iwfnet twitter.com/iwfnet instagram.com/iwfnet weightlifting – from being forbidden to full gender youtube.com/iwfmedia equality Any articles, results or photos published in 24-33 | 2016 Youth World Championships – Penang WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING may be reproduces without 35-36 | 2016 IWF Masters World Championships the written consent of the IWF, however, reference should be 37-44 | 5th FISU World University Championships - Merida made to this publication. 46-47 | Technical Corner ISSN 0230-3035 48 | What’s News on the Anti-Doping Front? WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING / 1 › FOREWORD FOREWORD Dear Readers, Dear Friends he fact that this is the last issue of WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING in 2016 serves as an excel- lent opportunity to assess the outgoing year. From the point of view of weightlifting 2016 has been a successful year! TOne might ask how it could be successful when at the end of May and in June the results of the reanalysed samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games came out and there was a large number of positives. Notwith- standing this revelation 2016 has been successful! It should be noted that prior to those particular Olympic Games (just like prior to the others) the IWF had carried out extensive and comprehensive testing among the With the iconic moments of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 still fresh in Olympic participants and the fact that the reanalysis our memory, we now have the benefit of some hindsight to measure the success of these firstever Olympic Games in South America objectively. showed AAFs (Adverse Analytical Findings=positives) These were the most consumed Olympic Games in history, with half the does not mean the International Federation had done world’s population having followed Olympic Games coverage. There was something wrong. No. The truth is that the laboratory more broadcast coverage across all media than ever, with 350,000 total analysis technique then applied was not yet capable of hours of media coverage provided by the broadcasters around the world. detecting long-term metabolites of the anabolic steroids. This is an increase of 75”/” compared to the Olympic Games London 2012. There was an unprecedented level of fan engagement on social As far as we are concerned, we welcome the progress of media, with over 7 billion video views of official content on social media science and within that the improvement of the analysis alone. Beyond all this, the Olympic Games Rio 2016 are leaving many methods, and we were the first to benefit from the new legacies that will benefit the Cariocas and Brazilians for generations technology after its introduction. to come. This success underscores the strength of the Olympic Move- It should be underscored that weightlifting is a core ment and the ever growing appeal and relevance of the Olympic Games. I would very much like to thank you again for the great contribution of the sport on the program of the Olympic Games. It has al- International Weighlifting Federation (lwF) to this success. ways been, it is and it will be there, in spite of certain as- sumptions originating chiefly from unfamiliarity with the facts and the real situation and are based on hearsay. Of course, some people, driven by different ambitions, are inclined to chuck about with statements, confusing the We can also add: when evaluating the International problems with the sport itself. We, on the other hand, Sports Federations, the IWF is habitually ranked among would like to confirm: no problem can cause weightlift- the top five IFs best organised and most active. The ing to be taken off the Olympic Games program! Weight- assessment is based on such factors as the level of the lifting has proven its success and popularity the world sport’s organisation internationally; its governance, over, most recently at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. financial management, development programs, anti- Let us herewith quote the letter of the IOC President, doping program, marketing and communication, and the Thomas Bach, written to the IWF President, opening: standard of competitions. Why is this important? 2 / WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING requiring even more input and an enhancement of ef- One thing that is very much in the foreground of interna- forts. Eight years ago we stated that marketing, com- tional sports today is good governance. No international munication and the publicity of the sport were areas that gathering in sports can go by nowadays without this need to be developed, along with an intensification of the subject, and its criteria, getting the focus. The Interna- anti-doping activities. We have made a lot of progress, tional Federations are examined and scrutinized under yet even more is needed. Marketing and communica- the magnifying glass and we are proud that the IWF has tion must have a step-up, while we have to maintain our passed the tests with excellent marks in every aspect. powerful anti-doping program, aligned with WADA. Among those knowing little about weightlifting – and The IWF’s cooperation with the continents and various unfortunately all too often in the international media – regions is close and ongoing. In particular we must high- the main subject is doping. Yes, doping is present in the light the collaboration with the Asian Federation, under sport; weightlifting is a doping-sensitive sport. How- President Mohammed Yousef Al Mana and General ever, as the McLaren Report also indicated: the pres- Secretary Mohamed Hassan Jaloud; the European Fed- ence of doping and issues associated with doping were eration, personally with General Secretary Hasan Akkus disclosed in 30 sports, concerning Beijing, Sochi and and TV Director David Goldstrom; the Weightlifting London. At the same time, the IWF is not sitting on the Federation of Africa, its President Khaled Mhalhel and sidelines with hands crossed in its lap: ours is the most General Secretary Manareddin Eshelli; the Pan-Ameri- intensive, consistent and up to date Anti-Doping Policy can Federation lead by President Willian Ozuna and Vice and program, incorporating the latest methods and an President José Quinones; finally the Oceania Federation, uncompromising sanctioning system – all this aimed which is spread out on a vast territory extremely difficult at the eradication of this plague from our sport. The to manage, and its President Marcus Stephen, General Anti-Doping Commission and the Executive Board of the Secretary Paul Coffa and Lilly Coffa. Anti-Doping Commission and the Executive Board of the We want to thank you all who have supported us and IWF are fully dedicated to promote the clean sport, fair cooperated with us in 2016, and urged us to pursue the competition. We have not been afraid to be strict, strong correct way despite any difficulties, and we are confident and consistent, whoever is concerned. that in the coming years weightlifting will again rise to The fast changing environment in world sport does not pre-eminence – both in terms of performance and ap- allow us to be satisfied with what we have achieved, pearance. what we have got. We cannot rest and there are areas DR. TAMÁS AJÁN MA WENGUANG IWF PRESIDENT IWF GENERAL SECRETARY WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING / 3 › 2016 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – TBILISI, GEO TEXT: KORNÉL JANCSÓ KAKHIASHVILI AND CO. SET WORLD-CLASS STAGE hinese winner of the men’s 62kg category, MO men the two extremes counted 10 and 30, in the 56kg and Yongxiang said it at the medal winners’ press the 77kg, respectively. The medal distribution showed a nice conference, in appreciation of the host Georgian balance with a remarkably wide array of countries clinching Federation’s efforts, and his opinion was shared the JWC medals. In the men, the eight category champions by many. Thus, based also on our own experience, came from seven countries with China being the only one to Cwe can assert that Tbilisi was an outstanding host to the win double gold. In the women’s championships five nations juniors’ world challenge in 2016. Putting their heart and soul shared the seven gold medals with China and Thailand being into the event, the hosts under the guidance of triple Olympic capable of winning two categories to each. champion, this time President of the Organising Committee, The Junior World Championships featured some talented Kakhi Kakhiashvili, did their best to set a world-class stage youngsters: merely 16-year old American Clarence CUM- for the world’s under 20 weightlifters. (See our interview on MINGS Jr. who triumphed hands down in his category, the page 18.) 69kg and set three youth world records; as well as his Our Georgian friends had their hands full – if not for another Colombian partner in 77kg, Yeison LOPEZ LOPEZ who regis- reason than due to the size of the turnout of the 2016 JWC.