IOC Executive Board addresses situation of International Weightlifting Federation

During its meeting in June, the IOC EB noted a number of positive steps identified by the IWF and the need to deliver these commitments. At that meeting, it announced a set of decisions stressing the critical importance of continuing reforms within the IWF in order to ensure the independence of its anti-doping operations and the modernisation of its governance and management structures.

Since then, the IWF has provided written reports on the latest measures that it has been implementing under the leadership of its Acting President, Ursula Garza Papandrea.

With regard to anti-doping, while noting that the IWF has appointed the International Testing Agency (ITA) to independently manage all elements of its anti-doping programme, including following up on the allegations made in the report by Prof. McLaren, the IOC EB stressed two important points:

• the importance of maintaining the link, in the IWF’s Tokyo 2020 qualification system, between the quota places available per National Olympic Committee (NOC) and their history of doping offences on the one hand; and
• the need to ensure the independence of the IWF anti-doping system beyond the present contract with the ITA – which is due to expire at the end of 2020 – as well as the delegation of disciplinary proceedings to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), on the other hand.

With regard to governance, the IOC EB noted the positive commitments previously made. It expressed strong concerns about the need for further progress to reform the IWF constitution ahead of the potential IWF elections, and any lack of acceptance of independent advice in this procedure.

Another point reiterated during the EB meeting was the importance of athletes’ representation within all appropriate commissions and committees of the Federation.

It was decided to communicate these areas of concern to the IWF and to inform the Federation that the IOC, while currently reviewing the event programme and athlete quotas for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, would reserve the right to take further measures depending on any future developments, including but not limited to a review of the place of weightlifting on the programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Further updates will be provided at future IOC Executive Board meetings.