• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Top Athletes
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
    • Competition Results
    • Latest Research
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Bent-Over Row
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Crunches
      • Farmer’s Carry
    • Best Exercises
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Back Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Glute Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Hamstring Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Calf Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
      • Triceps Exercises
    • Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • German Volume Training
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • The Cube Method
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Build Your Own Program
    • Fat Loss
      • How to Burn Fat
      • Spot Fat Reduction
      • How to Train on a Cut
      • Body Conditioning
      • Workouts
        • Kettlebell Circuits
        • Dumbbell Complexes
        • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Muscle Gain
      • Muscle Hypertrophy Explained
      • How to Build Muscle
      • How to Maintain Muscle
      • What Researchers Say About Muscle Gain
        • Workouts
          • 20-Minute Workouts
          • Kettlebell Circuits
          • CrossFit Workouts for Muscle
          • Bodybuilding Workouts
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » News » The Pan American Championships Just Moved. Turns Out That's Pretty Common

The Pan American Championships Just Moved. Turns Out That’s Pretty Common

Written by Mike Graber
Last updated on August 9th, 2023

You may have seen on the IWF website that June’s 2016 Pan American Championships have moved locations. Do not despair, the competition will still he held in the South American country of Colombia. Originally scheduled to be held in Barranquilla, a city of over 1 million people, the competition has been moved 75 miles (120km) southwest to Cartagena.

Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia

What’s Happening?

From June 6 – 11, the 2016 Pan American Championships will be held in Cartagena, Colombia. The Pan American Weightlifting Federation (PAWF) consists of 37 member federations which are located between North America, South America, and the Caribbean Islands.

Why Did the Location Change?

In weightlifting, it is not unusual for a country to change the location of a major competition within a short period of time before the competition is scheduled to begin. It could be any number of reasons, including but not limited to: weather, venue conditions, or the check (bribe) from the organizing committee to the people in charge did not clear. I have no evidence that this or any other location change is based on bribery, and there most likely is a very valid reason. However, it’s never out of the realm of possibility when it comes to major sporting bodies and competitions. (Just look at FIFA.)

In recent years, location changes have happened at the 2014 World Championships in Kazakhstan, which moved from Astana to Almaty. It also occurred at the 2013 World Championships in Poland, moving from Warsaw to Wroclaw.

Why Is the Competition Important?

This competition is one of the last Olympic Qualification events before the 2016 Summer Olympics are held. At the World Championships, 32 countries across the globe earned Olympic Slots for this summer’s Olympic Games. However, most nations in the PAWF do not have Olympic Slots guaranteed. They can earn them here by placing their men’s team in the top 7 men’ s teams of all countries who do not have an Olympic Spot already earned at the World Championships. The same holds true for earning a woman by placing their women’s team in the top 4 women’ s teams of all countries who do not have an Olympic Spot already earned from the World Championships.

How Does This Competition Affect the American Women’s Team?

Very minimally. After the Woman’s Olympic Trials have concluded, the USA will know the three women who will be representing at the 2016 Olympic Games. Jenny Arthur is already locked onto the team, and she has sufficient International Qualification Events for the Olympic Games. Most of the candidates to earn the remaining two Olympic Slots also have sufficient International Qualification Events as well. My guess is that the USA will send a slightly less experienced team of woman order to gain international competition experience.

USA Weightlifting Women
Potential Female Olympic Qualifiers

Past results do not guarantee future performance. In a previous article, I covered the IWF mandate that all 2016 Olympians will need to have appeared in two International Qualification Events. There is no certainty that the current top ranked women (Sarah Robles and Mattie Rodgers) will still be the top 2 ranked women after the trials event. If a competitor surpasses Mattie Rodgers and/or Sarah Robles at the Olympic Trials, and only has one International Qualification Event on her resume, then she would need this as a 2nd Olympic Qualification Event.

In addition to the USA (3), other countries that already have earned Olympic Spots include:

  • Brazil (2)
  • Colombia (4)
  • Dominican Republic (2)
  • Ecuador (2)
  • Mexico (3)
  • Venezuela (3)

I would not expect to see top female athletes from these countries, as they will be preparing for the Olympic Games.

How Does This Competition Affect the American Men’s Team?

Significantly! The USA did not earn a men’s Olympic spot because they did not score enough points at the World Championships. Now they will have to place in the top 7 teams to earn one Olympic Spot. If that happens, the 2016 USA Male Olympian will be the team member who scores the most team points (places highest) in the Pan American Championships.

Potential Male Olympic Qualifiers
Potential Male Olympic Qualifiers

Countries that already have Men’s Olympic Spots include:

  • Brazil (3)
  • Colombia (5)

Traditional Pan American Weightlifting powers such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Venezuela will be directly competing with the USA. There also will be stiff competition from our neighbors to north — Canada — and to the south, Mexico. At the last Pan American Championships in 2014, the USA finished in 6th place, however that did include Colombia. This year Colombia will not be a direct competitor for an Olympic Spot, so the odds are good the USA will earn that one Olympic Spot here.

How Do I Get to Cartagena?

If you feel like a vacation to South America this summer, you are in luck! There are several airlines that have direct flights from the United States to Cartagena’s Rafael Nunez International Airport. Currently, JetBlue Airways has a New York (JFK Airport) to Cartagena roundtrip flight for under $470.

Editors note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein are the authors and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.

About Mike Graber

Mike Graber is a 2011 US National Champion and multiple time national medalist in Olympic Weightlifting. When he's not attending a sporting event he usually can be found making spreadsheets in Corporate America. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @mlgraber56k.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap