On Apr. 19, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released the qualification process for weightlifters to earn spots at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, scheduled for Jul. 26, 2024, through Aug. 11, 2024. The qualification system for the 2024 Games is moving away from point-based criteria and toward a more straightforward ranking based on the athlete’s best competition total. Here are the key takeaways:
Weightlifting at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
- Up to 12 weightlifters will compete in each weight category.
- One weightlifter per National Olympic Committee (NOC) maximum in each weight category.
- Each NOC is allotted a maximum of six weightlifters total.
- Should more than three weightlifters of any NOC in either division in be eligible, the NOC will have the option to send any three of those qualified athletes.
- Age Requirement: born on or before Dec. 31, 2009.
Compulsory Events
All aspiring 2024 Olympic Games weightlifters must compete in the following two events:
- 2023 IWF Senior World Championships
- 2024 IWF World Cup
Additionally, weightlifters must participate in any three of the following events:
- 2022 IWF Senior World Championships
- 2023 Senior Continental Championships
- 2023 IWF Grand Prix I
- 2023 IWF Grand Prix II
- 2024 Senior Continental Championships
Of note, participation in the above events is defined as “attending, weighing in, and participating in the official introduction of athletes.” Athletes do not necessarily have to lift at the event to fulfill the participation requirement.
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IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR)
The IWF aims to establish an official qualification ranking list based on athlete performances at several prominent competitions. The qualification period for the OQR begins on Aug. 1, 2022, and closes on April 28, 2024.
- Athletes’ IWF OQR will be “collated from official results” from the IWF contests listed above and available for view on the IWF website.
- The Independent Panel may adjust a NOC’s athlete quota for any ADR violations between July 23, 2021, and July 25, 2024, committed by any NOC or its members.
- “To achieve the widest possible representation,” the highest-ranked eligible athlete in a weight category of a continent not already represented in the top 10 OQR athletes will receive a quota place at the 2024 Games.
- If more than one continent is not represented in the top 10 OQR, the highest-ranked eligible athlete from among them will receive the quota place.
Results by weightlifters in non-Olympic weight categories will still be included in those athletes’ OQRs in the Olympic category that encompasses their weight class. For example, results in the Men’s 55-kilogram class (not an Olympic weight category) will translate to their 61-kilogram OQR since the 61-kilogram class is an Olympic weight category.
Only the highest-ranked weightlifter from each NOC in each weight category will be listed on the OQR. If two athletes from the same NOC are tied, the athlete who achieved the result first will rank on the OQR.
The top 10 athletes on the OQR in each weight category will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. In this case, France, the host country, is guaranteed four total quota places (two in each division). If France fails to qualify four athletes via the OQR, they may add eligible athletes of their choice to max out their allotted four-athlete quota. They will still have to respect the one athlete maximum per NOC per event.
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Anti-Doping Rules (ADR)
Per section 2E of the eligibility criteria, “all athletes may be subject to no-notice unannounced testing under the IWF anti-doping rules and/or their national anti-doping rules.”
- Athletes in a national or international Registered Testing Pool (RTP) must comply with all whereabouts requirements. If athletes fail to meet those requirements, they can be deemed ineligible for the Games.
- Athletes must complete the E-learning Course for RTP Athletes on the WADA Anti-Doping Education and Learning platform.
Moreover, any NOC or governing body found to have committed three total ADRVs during the qualification period is liable to have all of its quota slots removed. Specifically, if those ADRVs result in suspensions lasting four years or longer, the country in question will forfeit all of its athlete quota slots in Paris.
2024 Paris Olympic Games | Weight Categories
A total of 120 weightlifters across 10 weight categories (five for men and five for women) will compete in the 2024 Paris Games — down from 14 categories featured on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games program.
The weight categories are as follows:
Women’s Categories
- 49 Kilograms
- 59 Kilograms
- 71 Kilograms
- 81 Kilograms
- +81 Kilograms
Men’s Categories
- 61 Kilograms
- 73 Kilograms
- 89 Kilograms
- 102 Kilograms
- +102 Kilograms
To recap, there is no point-based qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Qualified athletes will be selected based on the best competitive total during the qualification period (the OQR) — the top 10 highest totals in a given Olympic weight class between Aug. 1, 2022, and April 28, 2024, receive an invite. The IWF will publish the final OQR lists on May 24, 2024, on its website. NOCs will receive written confirmation of the quota places they obtained by that date.
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