WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING IWF 2017 ELECTORAL CONGRESS No.141
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF INTERNATIONAL WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION
SPECIAL ISSUE
Hungarian Dr. Tamás Aján re-elected as President for a 5th term with new General Secretary Mr. Mohammed Jalood from Iraq and the first ever woman Vice President Ms. Ursula Papandrea, USA FULL COVERAGE OF THE IWF 2017 ELECTORAL CONGRESS, 29-30 MAY – BANGKOK, THAILAND
PHOTOS: J. SZAKA, IWF
FORWARD TOGETHER!
Published by International Weightlifting Federation DR. TAMÁS AJÁN IWF President IOC Honorary Member MOHAMMED JALOOD IWF General Secretary Editor-in-Chief KORNÉL JANCSÓ Senior Editor ANIKÓ NÉMETH-MÓRA Communication Director LILLA ROZGONYI Photos JÓZSEF SZAKA Art Editor Crazy Panda Studio Graphic Design Marcell Studio (www.marcelltamas.hu) Spanish & Russian Editions DAVID COLON ARROYO MARINA SHAFIT ÁGNES LUKÁCSFALVI
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ISSN 0230-3035
CONTENTS No. 141 IWF 2017 ELECTORAL CONGRESS
SPECIAL ISSUE 02-03 | Foreword 04-08 | IWF Congress 09-29 | Congress Delegates 31-36 | Elections and interviews
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› FOREWORD
FOREWORD
I
Dear Readers, Dear Friends
want to take this opportunity to express my thanks to our affiliated Member Federations who took part in the Electoral Congress in Bangkok. However, I owe great gratitude not only to those of you who supported me and the colleagues elected to the various positions with your votes, but to all of you, because we need everybody to make weightlifting and the IWF successful in the future! In the next four years the IWF will pursue the trail of a modern sport and progress as a worthy and valuable member of the Olympic Movement.
The President’s first call went home to the family after his election
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With the first woman Vice Presi
The President, General Secretary and the Vice Presidents
A
s a result of our Electoral Congress, we now have the first ever General Secretary from an Arabic country and a woman Vice President! The composition of the Executive Board and the Committees is excellent and capable of finding the answers to the challenges facing us. There are, undoubtedly, challenges ahead, tasks that we can tackle only in unity and with a serious and common effort. But in the end, I firmly believe that we can be and we shall be successful. I count on you; we count on all of you. Once again: Thank you for your confidence!
DR. TAMĂ S AJĂ N IWF PRESIDENT
ident of the IWF, Ms. Ursula Garza Papandrea (USA)
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› IWF CONGRESS TEXT: ANIKÓ NÉMETH-MÓRA, SENIOR EDITOR PHOTOS: JÓZSEF SZAKA
THE BIGGEST EVER IWF ELECTORAL CONGRESS IN BANGKOK 29-30 MAY 2017
S
port is all about numbers. All of us involved in sports are fascinated by numbers and when it comes to important milestones – whether on or off the sports stage – we love to spot new and new records, higher and higher numbers. And when it comes to elections, the figures play an even more significant role. Well, the IWF’s latest Electoral Congress was no doubt the biggest ever in the Federation’s history and hit the top marks in every possible aspect. Altogether 221 delegates from 151 of the 192 affiliated Member Federations came to Thailand’s capital and – following a thorough constitutional scrutiny - 147 countries were confirmed to possess voting rights. 347 accreditations were issued plus 54 for Guests. A staff of 148 including volunteers and security personnel made sure that everything went smoothly. The Congress – lasting for 2 days of sessions – took place at Bangkok’s luxurious Grand FourWings Convention Hotel. The host was the IWF and the world’s undoubtedly most active and best equipped weightlifting federation, the TAWA (Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association), under the leadership of Madam Boossaba Yodbangtoey, President, and her husband Maj.Gen. Intarat Yodbangtoey, Honorary President. The TAWA staff made an unbelievably excellent job whereby the key role was played by Mr. Niwat Limsuknirun, whose experience in government service proved to be invaluable.
Delegates from 151 countries were present in the elegantly decorated Congress hall
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IWF CONGRESS
E
xcellent cooperation between TAWA, the professional IWF staff and the hotel resulted in full satisfaction to all participants. The congress hall’s decoration and IT facilities, including a gigantic LED wall, were top notch and the latter allowed for some additional features and displays. However, as always, the most important element in the success of such a great convention is the “human factor”, and at that Thai hospitality once more proved to be unbeatable. The “Country of Smiles” lavished the participants from all corners of the world with first-class hotel service and great food. So, THANK YOU, TAWA! THANK YOU, BANGKOK! KHOP KUN KHA, THAILAND!
H.E. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sport of Thailand presented a souvenir to the IWF President
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Ms. Boossaba Yodbangtoey, President TAWA and Maj.Gen. Intarat Yodbangtoey were the hosts of the Congress
Guests of Honour: Dr. Chungwon Choue, WTF President and Mr. C.K. Wu, IOC Executive Board Member, AIBA President
A “Thank you!” by the IWF to TAWA President Ms. Boossaba Yodbangtoey
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The IWF Secretariat staff
The IWF Order in Gold was awarded for long and devoted service (L to R) to Mr. Kyle Pierce, Mr. Lyn Jones, Dr. Maria Dolores Rubio and Ms. Boossaba Yodbangtoey
Ms. Wang Yan, Dr. Hasan Akkus and Mr. Alain Siegrist received the IWF Order in Silver
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Two new members were inaugurated into the Hall of Fame: Ms. Katharina Rimböck-Peya (AUT) as Official, and Mr. Tom Goegebuer (BEL) as Athlete
Master of Ceremonies, Chair of the Hall of Fame, Ms. Anikó Németh-Móra, IWF Director
IWF staff members: Dr. Lilla Sági, Junior Legal Counsel, Ms. Helga Ferencz, Communication Manager and Dr. Éva Nyirfa, Legal Counsel
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WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING Editor-in-Chief Mr. Kornél Jancsó and Photographer Mr. József Szaka
The “Lausanne office”: Ms. Melody Exhenry, AntiDoping and Development Coordinator, Ms. Angélique Mottet, Operations Manager and Ms. Lilla Rozgonyi, Director of Communications and Marketing
› DELEGATES
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› ELECTIONS
IWF ELECTIONS
T
he record numbers continued in the elections: an all-time-highest total of 119 candidates were registered for the ballots aspiring to the 37 positions (16 in the Executive Board and 3x7=21 in the Committees) available for election in Bangkok. (The new Executive Board would later elect 3 Members each to complete the Technical, Medical and Coaching & Research Committees.) Eventually, the positions were taken by representatives of 33 countries including all the five continents.
COACHING AND RESEARCH COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE BOARD 2017-2021 PRESIDENT
DR. AJÁN TAMÁS (HUN)
GENERAL SECRETARY TREASURER
JALOOD MOHAMMED (IRQ)
YANG SU-KUAN (TPE)
1ST VICE PRESIDENT
MAJ.GEN. YODBANGTOEY INTARAT (THA)
PANDOO AVEENASH (MRI)
VICE PRESIDENTS
PAPANDREA GARZA URSULA (USA)
BIRANVAND MOHSEN (IRI)
VLAD NICU (ROU)
OKADA JUNICHI (JPN)
QUINONES JOSE CARLOS (PER)
JONES LYN (AUS)
TUSSUPBEKOV ZHANAT (KAZ)
ALHARBI MOHAMMED A. (KSA)
KROL PETR (CZE) EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
MEMBERS:
PIERCE KYLE (USA)
(ELECTED LATER BY THE EB)
MORGAN KEITH (GBR)
LUNDAHL KAROLIINA (FIN)
WALLWORK JERRY (SAM)
DIMAS PYRROS (GRE)
LIMBOONSUEBSAI NIPPON (THA)
BAISHYA BIRENDRA PRASAD (IND) AGAPITOV MAXIM (RUS) MAKHMUDOV SHAKHRILLO (UZB)
MEDICAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
ATLIHAN DOGAN (TUR) LAVALLEE MARK (USA)
MAHGOUB MAHMOUD (EGY)
VARGAS BRUZZO ROXANNA (DOM)
ZAMBRANO ANDRADE LUIS O. (ECU)
KAMI LISIMONI (TGA)
IRANI MICHAEL SHERIAR DR. (GBR)
TSIKOURIS GEORGIOS (GRE)
STEPHEN MARCUS (OWF)
RUBIO Y LLEONART MARIA D. (ESP)
MHALHEL KHALED (WFA) URSO ANTONIO (EWF) AL-MANA MOHAMED YOUSEF (AWF) OZUNA WILLIAN (PAWC)
KAKHABRISHVILI ZURAB (GEO) (ELECTED LATER BY THE EB)
DÖRR DOMINIK (LUX) LADPLI PARAMETH (THA) MASMOUDI FATHI (TUN)
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
CHINEN REIKO (JPN) KURLOVICH ALEXANDER (BLR) MIHAJLOVIC MILAN (SRB) RIMBÖCK KARL (GER) AL-JARMAL ABDULLAH (YEM) BARATTINI ITALO (CHI) RANDRIAMANARIVO JEAN-ALEX (MAD)
(ELECTED LATER BY THE EB)
MAHDI MUSTAFA (IRQ) THATMAN SIRILAK (THA) TORRES PEDRO (VEN)
The order of speeches for the candidates to President and General Secretary was drawn previously. In the end, two candidates remained for both positions
Mr. Niwat Limsukniroon of TAWA was a skilled organiser of the electoral process
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› ELECTIONS
The IWF Executive Board and Committee Members who terminated their office 2013-2017 The ballot box
The IWF Staff celebrating their President
Dr. Francois Carrard acted as Chairman of the Elections and made sure all rules were strictly observed
Dr. Tamás Aján (HUN) 86 votes – elected; Dr. Antonio Urso (ITA) 61 votes
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The IWF officers elected by the Congress into the Executive Board and the Committees about to take the Oath of Office
› ELECTIONS
Mr. Mohammed Jalood (IRQ), elected General Secretary with 88 votes against Mr. Ma Wenguang (CHN) 59 votes, the IWF President and Mr. Mohammed Yousef Al Mana (QAT), President of the Asian Weightlifting Federation
Mr. Attila Ádámfi, IWF Director General was the first to congratulate the re-elected President
Just elected: Maj.Gen. Intarat Yodbangtoey (THA) as 1st Vice President and Ms. Ursula Garza Papandrea (USA) as the 1st woman Vice President The new Executive Board of the IWF
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› INTERVIEW TEXT: ANIKÓ NÉMETH-MÓRA
INTARAT YODBANGTOEY, 1ST VICE PRESIDENT IWF WW: Major General: Among 119 candidates you were the only one who was elected unopposed, by acclamation. That is indeed a great success. What drives you in this sport and organisation? I.Y.: Fortunately, the new Executive Board is very strong. Now we need to work hard and I know we can solve any problem in weightlifting. As always, I am driven by the goal to achieve unity. All my life I have been working in that direction. WW: You have been involved in weightlifting for quite a long time in various positions on the Executive Board and in Asia. What is the trend you have been able to observe? I.Y.: In the last thirty years our sport has improved tremendously. Since the early nineteen-nineties the hegemony of just a few nations like Russia or China has gradually disappeared and a large number of other nations have developed weightlifting to new and unprecedented zeniths. The medals in Olympic Games or Asian Games, as well as world events are shared by lots of nations. And all that is to be thanked to the policy of the IWF which provides development support to a wide range of countries and on all continents.
„I AM VERY CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR SPORT”
WW: Thailand is not only one of the leading countries in weightlifting but in terms of organising and hosting major events it is undoubtedly Number One. I.Y.: I am convinced that if you are strong and prosperous it is your plain duty to support those who are poorer or weaker. This way, Thailand considers it as its primary obligation to support the region; in particular Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, East Timor and even the Philippines. However, we are not left alone: both the IWF and the Asian Weightlifting Federations significantly contribute to this help. WW: Tell me please: what is the secret of your success? And where does TAWA take the money from in order to finance the sport and such grandiose and elegant events as this magnificent Electoral Congress? I.Y.: Madam Boossaba and I are working hard but also the TAWA Executive Board members need to do their duty… Weightlifting is a great sport in Thailand and many lifters are coming to our camps from all corners of the country. What I demand from everybody, coaches and lifters alike, is that they must have discipline! For instance, I have recently kicked out one of our most successful athletes from the camp for bad behaviour, a bronze medallist. Keeping a lifter in the training centre costs a lot and it is a privilege, an honour one must deserve! On a broader perspective: I am very confident about the future of our sport. If we are able to have unity, under the guidance of our President more and more countries will be as strong as Thailand!
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› INTERVIEW TEXT: ANIKÓ NÉMETH-MÓRA
URSULA PAPANDREA, THE 1ST WOMAN VICE PRESIDENT IN THE IWF WW: Congratulations on your election! You are past the first meeting of the Executive Board. What did you expect and what did you find there? U.P.: Thank you. I am indeed happy and honoured to be part of this Board. As a matter of fact, I have been on the Board of Directors of USA Weightlifting – lately as President – since 2009 and I was used to the environment of a leading body. I found that the setting is the same, only the topic is different. In this first meeting in Tokyo I preferred to do more observing than contributing. It was interesting to perceive the dynamics and the personalities and I was glad to note that we are unified in direction and in the desire to bring the sport forward.
“WE NEED TO BE MORE INCLUSIVELY DIVERSE”
WW: What do you think you can you bring to the Federation leadership as a woman and as an American? U.P.: We, Americans have experience in some issues the IWF is now facing; therefore we can bring pragmatic experience as well as the Voice of the American Weightlifting Community which has been growing enormously in recent years. One of my goals is – perhaps it comes from my background of growing up in the diverse society of the USA – for the IWF to become more inclusively diverse. The sport is practised by people of different economic standards, regionally separated: we need to embrace it. As for tackling the doping issue: it can be done. In the ‘90s the USA faced a similar situation and you need to do the right thing, while you must acknowledge that it takes time. In some way I see the United States as being the world in small. There are different membership categories and – maybe this is where I come in as a woman – one needs to be patient, compassionate and accommodating. Although I’m not known for being a ‘softy’, I have ample experience in teaching, coaching and as an educator and it is easy for me to represent and practice this attitude.
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› INTERVIEW TEXT: ANIKÓ NÉMETH-MÓRA
KAROLIINA LUNDAHL, IWF EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER WW: Karoliina, your commendable career as a world champion (1998) lifter is well known. But now you are sitting on the IWF Executive Board as an official. What are you bringing with you to this entity? K.L.: I competed until I turned 35 years old, when I finally felt ready to quit and concentrate on other sides of the sport. I think if it important to bring an insight on how the weightlifting family works and I have that. While still lifting, I started to be engaged as a coach, then I worked at the Finnish Weightlifting Federation in the management and administration and I am a teacher and lecturer as well. Consequently, I have a broad view over all segments of weightlifting practice.
“WE NEED TO TAKE OWNERSHIP IN THE GYM!”
WW: You hold two passports – Finnish and Swedish – but you speak perfect English as well. K.L.: Indeed, I am Finnish but my husband, Leif, is Swedish and we have lived in both countries. By the way, we are blessed with two beautiful sons, Niklas and Rasmus. However, I also have a “US identity”, since I lived there for 20 years. My father is a scientist, a Medical Doctor and he used to work in the USA. By the way, he and his research team won the Nobel Prize in 1977. Add to that that I was an international athlete, so I am used to travelling the world all my life. WW: What is your strength and your objective that you would like to pursue as a member of the IWF leadership? K.L.: I am a coach-educator, I have a Master degree in Education; and teaching, spreading the knowledge is in my veins. Today, strength training is growing widely – and wildly. Strength training, if done incorrectly, can be dangerous. It is our duty to make it safe for people. We need to take ownership in the gym! To make everybody know that IWF stands for Snatch and Clean and Jerk. We have the specialized knowhow to bring into strength training and thus bring an advantage to the IWF. Maybe not all will become top lifters but they’ll have children who can decide which sport to choose. Either by doing the sport or supporting it, even if you just go watching the competition: you will be an active member of the society. We have the product in the IWF. We just need to get the product out!
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RAISING THE BAR FOR 60 YEARS
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