2024 World Weightlifting Championships preview: Full Schedule, athletes to watch, and how to stream the event live

After spectacular and competitive battles on the Olympic podium in Paris, the 2024 World Championships are tipped to be another exciting event for weightlifting enthusiasts.

The competition returns to Asia, with Manama hosting the sport's second-biggest event this year after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Reigning Olympic champions Karlos Nasar, Olivia Reeves, and Rizki Juniansyah are among the leading stars confirmed for the event in Bahrain from 6-15 December that will also see up to nine weightlifters attempt to retain the world titles they clinched last year in Riyadh.

Here are the top things to know about the world champs, including the athletes to watch, schedule, and how to follow the event live on Olympics.com.

When are the 2024 World Weightlifting Championships?

The championships are scheduled to take place in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, between 6-15 December 2024.

This is the first time in the history of the Worlds that the competition will be held in the Gulf island nation, which hosted the 2022 Asian Weightlifting Championship.

Athletes to watch - 2024 World Weightlifting Championship

More than 500 weightlifters, including several world and Olympic champions will take part in the championships in Manama. Paris 2024 gold medallists Reeves, Nasar, and Juniansyah are among the names to keep an eye on.

Olivia Reeves looks to compete fantastic season with first world title

After achieving Olympic gold, Reeves will be pursuing her first world title after bronze in Riyadh in 2023. The American is back training even harder as she has her sights set on breaking the 71kg world record currently held by People's Republic of China’s Liao Guifang. Reeves will be joined by Colombian Mari Leivis Sanchez who took silver behind her in Paris.

Guifang, another of China’s record-breaking weightlifters, who set a new mark last year in the women’s 71kg, will step up to 76kg in Manama. The reigning world champion of that category Sara Ahmed of Egypt, will compete in the 81kg. She won silver at the Paris Olympics.

Lo Ying Yuan, the world champion from Chinese Taipei, is favoured to defend her gold in the 87kg, with South Korea’s Park Hye-jeong, the Olympic silver medallist, tipped to retain her +87kg title.

Six reigning world record holders from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea led by Won Hyon Sim, will also compete in Manama.

Lasha Talakhadze and Li Faban, two of the most popular weightlifters, may be missing from the list of entries for Manama, but their absence does not mean a lack of depth. 20-year-old Nasar and Indonesia's strong man Juniansyah, lead stacked fields in the men’s 89kg and 73kg respectively, events that earned them medals in Paris.

The Bulgarian star is excited to return to competition after toying with the snatch world record of 185kg in training.

Vietnamese lifter Lai Gia Thanh is the top seed as the defending champion in the 55kg weight class**.**

Italy’s Oscar Reyes, last year’s winner in the 81kg and Mir Mostafa Javadi the Iranian, who reigned supreme in the 89kg category, will also look to close their year with back-to-back world titles.

Minasyan Gor, the Paris Olympic bronze medallist, leads the host nation charge for medals in the men’s heaviest class.

What is the competition schedule for the World Weightlifting Championships?

The preliminary schedule has only two main finals every day-men and women, with medals awarded across the 10 male and 10 female categories. The men’s 55kg open the event on 6 December and will be followed by the women’s 49kg.

Medals will be awarded in the following weight classes:

Women: 45kg, 49kg, 55kg, 59kg, 64kg, 71kg, 76kg, 81kg, 87kg, +87kg
Men: 55kg, 61kg, 67kg, 73kg, 81kg, 89kg, 96kg, 102kg, 109kg, +109kg

Friday, 6 December (Main events)

• 17:30: Men 55kg
• 20:00: Women 45kg

Saturday, 7 December

• 17:30: Women 49kg
• 20:00: Men 61kg

Sunday, 8 December

• 17:30: Men 67kg
• 20:00: Women 55kg

Monday, 9 December

• 17:30 Women 59kg
• 20:00 Men 73kg

Tuesday, 10 December

• 17:30: Men 81kg
• 20:00: Women 64kg

Wednesday, 11 December

• 17:30 Women 71kg
• 20:00 Men 89kg

Thursday, 12 December

• 17:30 Men 96kg
• 20:00 Women 76kg

Friday, 13 December

• 17:30 Women 81kg
• 20:00 Men 102kg

Saturday, 14 December

• 17:30 Men 109kg
• Women 87kg

Sunday, 15 December

• 15:00 Women +87kg
• 17:70 Men +109kg

How to watch the 2024 World Weightlifting Championships

All the Group A finals action from the IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Manama will be available to watch live – subject to geographical restrictions - via a digital live stream on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.