The last Olympic qualifying event for weightlifters happened in the first week of this month (April) in Thailand.
Despite this quad being shorter due to the Tokyo Olympics being held in 2021 instead of 2020, it’s been a significant and long 3 years for athletes in Olympic sports.
Thailand ended in heartbreak for more lifters than those who could experience the joy of qualifying.
I am not an expert on the situation, but the IOC has been cracking down on weightlifting to stamp out doping in the sport. They gave an ultimatum to the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation), fix it or you’re gone.
At the end of 2018, the IWF changed the weight classes, meaning that all previous world records no longer existed.
There are 10 Male and 10 Female Olympic Weightlifting classes. However, only 10 TOTAL will feature in the Paris Olympics.
“The changes were forced on the IWF when, a year ago, the IOC cut the quota of athletes from 196 at Tokyo 2020 to 120 for Paris 2024.
The Tokyo quota was already 64 down on Rio 2016, where 260 athletes competed in 15 weight categories – so weightlifting has lost more than half of its places and a third of its medal events in eight years.
The sport has been dropped from the programme for Los Angeles 2028 but can return to the schedule provided the IWF meets a number of conditions laid down by the IOC. (Weightlifting has since been confirmed for the program in 2028)
"The IWF and its future leadership must demonstrate its transition towards compliance and effective change in culture," IOC President Thomas Bach said two weeks ago when he announced that weightlifting, boxing and modern pentathlon all had work to do if they wanted to be on the programme in 2028.”
(https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1117123/paris-2024-olympics-weightlifting)
I understand the need to clean up the sport (although weightlifting isn’t the only sport with doping issues). However, I think the IOC’s crackdown on the IWF is punishing the athletes who compete.
With only half the weight classes included, weightlifters have taken drastic measures to make their Olympic dream a reality. These measures include athletes needing to cut a significant amount of weight or gain some weight to post totals and hopefully qualify in a weight class featured at the Olympics.
Another female Australian lifter dropped 13kg in 13 weeks (64kg to 49kg) because she had the best chance of qualifying. She missed all her snatch attempts. There are many more athletes like the two I mentioned. I don’t know of any other sports that have forced athletes to make such physical and, subsequently, psychological and emotional sacrifices. There is already enough pressure on elite athletes.
Having been a competitive weightlifter (not at this level), I know that cutting weight is hard, and for some athletes, gaining weight is just as hard. I am not only concerned about the immediate health and well-being effects but also question the long-term effects on these athletes.
I don’t know the solution, but the IOC need to consider athlete health and well-being because I’d like to think the number of athletes who aren't doping heavily outweighs the ones who do!
I’d say they’d argue they are prioritising athlete well-being by trying to stamp out doping