Athletes and sports governing bodies across the world have been racing to adapt to postponements, cancellations, and the challenges of training while maintaining social distance. In this special episode, USA Weightlifting CEO Phil Andrews joins us to talk about his organization’s first responses to the pandemic, including rapid changes and the lack of spectators at this year’s Arnold Sports Festival.
Editor’s Note: This podcast was recorded on Tuesday, March 17th, 2020.
We also talk about potential ramifications for Olympic qualification, Phil’s thoughts on Tokyo 2020, and what USA Weightlifting is doing to help athletes find places to train when gyms across the country are closed for an extended period.
BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting. Unless otherwise specified on certain content, the two organizations maintain editorial independence.
In this episode of the BarBend Podcast, host David Thomas Tao talks to Phil Andrews about:
- How Phil’s travel schedule was upended by current events (2:07)
- When USA Weightlifting first started formulating a plan regarding COVID-19 (2:40)
- Events surrounding the Arnold Expo 2020 and the closure to spectators (5:03)
- Has there been International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) guidance regarding cancellations and postponements? (8:35)
- The impact on Olympic qualification’s timeline (9:54)
- Cancelation/postponement of the Golden Gala (12:00)
- What does Phil think will happen regarding this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo? (14:28)
- USA Weightlifting’s Home Gym Connection network and newly-announced online qualifiers (18:00)
[Listen to Phil’s first appearance on the BarBend Podcast in 2019.]
Relevant links and further reading:
