The world of weightlifting was focused on Bogotá, Colombia during the 2022 International Weightlifting Federation‘s (IWF) Pan American Championships in July.
And with the 2022 IWF World Championships also set to take place in Colombia’s capital, the end of the year is poised for more weightlifting greatness in Bogotá.
The dates for are locked in: The 2022 IWF World Weightlifting Championships (WWC) will be held from Dec. 5 through Dec. 16, 2022.
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2024 Paris Olympics Qualification
This 12-day event is one of several qualifying events for weightlifters who hope to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Olympic hopefuls will have to compete in these two events:
- 2023 IWF Senior World Championships
- 2024 IWF World Cup
Those looking to lift in Paris will also be required to participate in any three of the following events, which include the December 2022 Worlds:
- 2022 IWF Senior World Championships
- 2023 Senior Continental Championships
- 2023 IWF Grand Prix I
- 2023 IWF Grand Prix II
- 2024 Senior Continental Championships
Athletes will not necessarily have to lift at the event, as participation will count as “attending, weighing in, and participating in the official introduction of athletes,” per the qualification guidelines released in April 2022 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Weightlifting in Colombia
In April 2022, the IWF announced its selection of Colombia as the host country for the 2022 Worlds. The South American country won out over seven governing bodies — including USA Weightlifting — after China stepped back from hosting because of COVID-related logistical concerns.
This won’t be Colombia’s first time hosting a major weightlifting competition, though this will be its first time playing host to the Senior World Weightlifting Championships.
In the past, Colombia has hosted the following international competitions:
- 2004 Cali — Pan-American Weightlifting Championships
- 2008 Cali — Junior World Weightlifting Championships
- 2016 Cartagena — Pan-American Weightlifting Championships
Colombian weightlifters are also no strangers to success on the world stage. Lesman Paredes Montaño, a 96-kilogram lifter, took home the overall win in the 2021 WWC in Tashkent, Uzbekistan after hitting a 187-kilogram world record snatch.
Three weightlifters represented Colombia in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Luis Javier Mosquera, Brayan Rodallegas, and Mercedes Pérez all competed, and Mosquera earned the silver medal in the Men’s 67-kilogram event.
Onto Paris 2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are slated to run from Jul. 26, 2024 through Aug. 11, 2024. Up to 12 weightlifters can compete in each weight category, with each National Olympic Committee allowed to send six total weightlifters to compete.
Qualifications for the 2024 Games — which will comprise rankings based on athlete performance at prominent competitions like the 2022 WWC — opened in Aug. 2022 and will close on April 28, 2024.
Featured Image: @iwfnet / Instagram
