The coronavirus pandemic is causing multiple Olympic weightlifting events to be canceled, postponed, or otherwise affected. We at BarBend decided it would be helpful to have a continuously updated list of canceled and postponed weightlifting events. This information has been sourced from the International Weightlifting Federation’s calendar and news feed.
Here are the events that have had details published about or have been affected thus far:
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- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games
- IWF Junior World Championships
- South American Championships
- Pan-American Championships
- USA Weightlifting National Masters Championships
- European World Championships
- African World Championships
- Asian World Championships
- Oceania and Commonwealth Championships
- USA Weightlifting National Championships
- European Masters Championship
- Pan-American Youth Championships
- IWF Masters World Championships
- East Asia World Championships
- African Junior and Youth Championships
- South American, Ibero-American & OPEN Senior Championships
- FISU World University Championships
- Pan-American Junior Championships
- IWF Youth World Championships
- European Youth Championships
- Caribbean Invitational/Phillips & Springer Classic
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2020 Tokyo Olympic Games – July 24-August 9
No, they’re not canceled, despite considerable speculation. But the Olympic Games have been officially postponed until 2021.
On March 30th, the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the Tokyo metropolitan government, and the Japanese government announced their agreement to hold the Olympic Games on July 23rd to August 8th, 2021.
IOC, IPC, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Tokyo Metropolitan Government announce new dates for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 https://t.co/QITtT5dcl8 pic.twitter.com/DHi4u74ZXa
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) March 30, 2020
The Paralympic Games have a new date of August 24th to September 5th.
Initially, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reportedly considered prohibiting spectators. This is a tactic that other major events have implemented including the Arnold Sports Festival and the Olympic Torch Relay.
IWF Junior World Championships – March 14-21
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Junior World Championships were set to take place in Bucharest, Romania were canceled just two weeks prior to their scheduled start date per the communication from the IWF:
“…the health and wellbeing of participants has been a key priority … we understand and respect the Romania Weightlifting Federation and International Weightlifting Federation’s decision to cancel the 2020 IWF Junior World Championships.”
Since then, the 2021 Junior World Championship was also postponed until May 2021 following an IWF Executive board meeting on Dec. 15, 2020.
2020 South American Championships – March 18-23
According to a press release from the IWF on March 16, the South American Championships originally scheduled for March 18-23 in Cali, Colombia have been postponed:
“Colombian Weightlifting Federation has decided to postpone the South American, Ibero-American & OPEN Senior Championships, that was due to be held [March] 18-23 in Cali, COL.”
The event has since been canceled and replaced with a new online event.
2020 Pan-American Championships – April 14-24
Per the announcement made on March 20 by the Executive Committee of the Pan-American Weightlifting Federation (PAWF), the 2020 Pan-American Championships have been postponed:
“…with the consent of the Local Organizing Committee, postponed the 2020 Pan-American Championship (14-24 April, Santo Domingo, DOM) to a yet unknown date.”
The Pan-American Masters Championships have been rescheduled to October 8-11.
USA Weightlifting National Masters Championships – April 16-20
According to a press release on March 13th by USA Weightlifting, the National Masters Championships originally scheduled to take place in Orlando, Florida have been postponed.
“USA Masters Weightlifting has made the decision to postpone our National Masters Championships to coincide with the World Championships in late August.”
This event will happen “in conjunction with the Worlds, with totals counting for both events”. USA Masters President, Michael Cohen, stated on the USA Masters Facebook page that due to the circumstances compelled by the coronavirus pandemic, “USA Masters will allow local sanctioned meets to count as qualifiers for the World Championships this year.”
European Weightlifting Championships – April 13-21
The European Weightlifting Championships scheduled to take place in Moscow, Russia have been postponed until June 13th-21st according to the IWF’s announcement.
African Weightlifting Championships – April 13-21
The African Weightlifting Championships were scheduled to take place in Vacoas, Mauritius at the same time as the European Weightlifting Championships. As per the IWF’s announcement, the event is postponed and will now be held from June 15th-23rd instead. But then the Weightlifting Federation of Africa decided to postpone again following the IOC’s decision to postpone the Olympic Games.
“The WFA will announce the new dates after the Olympic Qualification System has been amended.”
Asian Weightlifting Championships – April 16-25
The Asian Weightlifting Championships were set to take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan but have been postponed until a date to be determined in March 2021 according to the announcement from the IWF on September 25th.
Oceania and Commonwealth Championships – April 21-25
According to the IWF’s announcement on March 14th, the Oceania Senior, Junior, and Youth Championships have been postponed. In that same announcement, it was confirmed that the Commonwealth Senior, Junior, and Youth Championships were also postponed. Both Championships were originally scheduled for April 21-25 in Nauru, Oceania.
There has yet to be a new date announced for the Oceania Masters Championships which were originally scheduled for June 5-7 but have been postponed.
USA Weightlifting National Championships – May 14-17
According to a press release on March 25th from USA Weightlifting (USAW), the USAW National Championships originally scheduled for May 14-17 in Lombard, Illinois have been postponed.
“The 2020 National Championships, originally scheduled for May 14-17 will now move to Atlanta and held in conjunction with the 2020 American Open Finals December 3-6 at the Georgia International Convention Center.”
European Masters Championships – May 16-23
On March 17th, the IWF shared a press release that revealed details regarding the European Masters Championships postponement November 28th through December 5th. However, the event has since been canceled announcementper the on September 25th.
Pan-American Youth Championships – June 23-28
According to a press release by the IWF, the Pan-American Youth Championships originally due to be held on June 23rd-28th have been postponed.
“The board will decide on the exact calendar in approximately one month.”
Masters World Championships – August 28-September 9
The IWF announced on April 24th that the Masters World Championships originally scheduled for August 28th through September 9th has been canceled. The event was set to take place in Orlando, FL. The USA Masters committee has accepted to host the event in 2022.
East Asia Weightlifting Championships – February 27-March 3
The first East Asia Weightlifting Championships were scheduled to take place in Seoul, South Korea but were postponed the day before the competition was set to begin. It was a Silver level Qualification event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. According to the IWF’s announcement, a new date has not yet been selected.
African Junior and Youth Championships – September
African Junior and Youth Championships were postponed on July 23rd, according to a press release by the IWF. The new dates for the event are December 5th-11th, 2020.
South American, Ibero-American & OPEN Senior Championships
This event has been postponed until December 12-19, 2020, has since been canceled and replaced with a new online event.
FISU World University Championships – CANCELED.
The FISU World University Championships were canceled on July 23rd.
Pan-American Junior Championships
The Pan-American Junior Championships were postponed until November 21-29th, 2020, but have since been postponed again to a date TBD in 2021. That same announcement did mention a new online event as well for this competition still set to take place in November.
IWF Youth World Championships
On August 28th, the IWF released a statement saying the IWF Youth World Championships have been canceled.
An online event called IWF Youth World Cup will be organized by the International Weightlifting Federation.
Further details on the regulation and date of IWF Youth World Cup event “will be communicated soon.”
European Youth Championships
On September 1st, the IWF confirmed that the European Youth Championships would have a new date to be announced for 2021.
Caribbean Invitational/Phillips & Springer Classic
On September 25th, the IWF announced that this event has been canceled.
FAQs
Are the IWF Junior World Championships canceled?
Yes. The International Weightlifting Federation Junior World Championships have been canceled.
Are the European Weightlifting Championships canceled?
The European Weightlifting Championships have not been canceled. However, they have been postponed until June 13th-21st.
Are the African Weightlifting Championships canceled?
The African Weightlifting Championships have not been canceled. However, they have been postponed until June 15th-23rd.
Are the Asian Weightlifting Championships canceled?
The Asian Weightlifting Championships have not been canceled. However, they have been postponed until a date yet to be determined.
Are the East Asia Weightlifting Championships canceled?
The East Asian Weightlifting Championships have not been canceled. However, they have been postponed until a date yet to be determined.
Feature image from IWF’s Instagram page: @iwfnet
