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Technical Official Seminar in Uruguay

This was the first time that an International Course for Technical Officials was organized in Montevideo, Uruguay. Due to the support received through the IWF Development Program the Weightlifting Federation of Uruguay could organize a three-day course for the Technical Officials from the country in August. Mr. Diego German Martinez from Colombia was invited as expert and talked not only about the new technical and competition rules and regulations but also about his own experiences as Technical Official. The course was very beneficial as the Federation had a serious lack of TOs since they could not replace the ones who getting out. Mr. Julio Lezama, President of the Weightlifting Federation of Uruguay emphasized that they are really happy that at the next event - the Federal Championships - all roles of the Technical Officials will be filled as this couldn't happen in the past 34 years. The course met the organizer's expectations and IWF hopes that more will

Apolonia Vaivai aims for Gold again at Commonwealth Championships

Double Commonwealth Championships Gold medallist Apolonia Vaivai will look to win another Gold medal when she competes at the Commonwealth Championships and Oceania Weightlifting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. She is competing in the 69kg bodyweight category. Apolonia won Gold medals in the 75kg bodyweight category at the Commonwealth Championships in 2015 in Pune, India and again in 2016 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is the only weightlifter from Fiji to ever win a Commonwealth Title. Apolonia is also the defending champion from the 2016 Oceania Weightlifting Championships. She won Gold in the 69 kg bodyweight category, in Suva, with a lift of 206kg, by beating Eileen Cikamatana by a mere 1 kg, the narrowest of margins, to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Vaivai, Manueli Tulo, Taniela Rainibogi and Poama Qaqa have been preparing for the past several weeks in Suva. They will be joined in Gold Coast by Eileen Cikamatana who is training under Paul Coffa at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute in Noumea. The team departs for Gold Coast on Sunday 3rd September with competition starting on Tuesday 5th. Apart from honours at the Commonwealth and Oceania Championships, the five athletes will be seeking to qualify for the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Gold Coast in April 2018. The Fiji Team will be led Manager Chris Yee, National Coaches Joe Vueti and Henry Elder. Source:

Weightlifting and Boxing Interschool Championship in Tuanaimato, Samoa

Eight colleges competed against each other in the Weightlifting and Boxing Interschool Championship in Tuanaimato, Samoa last week. “After hard training with each college we are finally here to witness the students put in to action what they were trained for,” President of Samoa Weightlifting, Tuaopepe Jerry Wallwork said. “We are working together with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture in arranging everything in organizing the competition setup.” The competition is an initiative from the Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, Loau Keneti Sio, to help with the development of weightlifting, as well as the boxing. “This is history in the making and by saying that, we will be setting records for female and male weightlifters, so whoever will set a record, their name will be on the board." “There will be medals for each division, in Gold, Silver and Bronze. “There will be trophies for both male and female for the best school, from first place to third place, and then there will be a trophy for the overall female and male weightlifter.” Minister of Sports, Loau, said he was looking forward to the competition. “These two associations decided to come on board and help the young people of Samoa in developing their talents,” said Laou. “Looking at the development of sports now, I can say that they are improving a lot and that is what we wanted, hence why I have come up with this initiative so that we can get the young ones ready." “This is good for the young people and who knows, maybe next year we will be entering other sports to come and join us in this annual competition.” To read the full article visit the following link. Source:

Houston Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts

The George Brown Convention Center in Houston has not sustained significant damage and is reportedly well-stocked with supplies. The venue has a capacity of 5000 but reports suggest they plan to host up to 9000 people until the hurricane subsides. The Center is serving as the main emergency shelter, which hosted the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships. For those people who would like to help with the Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts, please know that the Harris County - Houston Sports Authority has setup a Foundation.  If you would like to assist, below are methods for you to give a tax deductible donation: Credit Card Donations Online: Sports Authority Foundation - Harvey Relief Fund   By Phone: Call our Controller, Tom Waggoner at 713-308-5910 Wire Transfer or ACH Instructions   Harris County-Houston Sports Authority Routing Number (ABA Number) - 113011258 Account Number - 0054222997 Donations by Check Please make checks payable to the Sports Authority Foundation and mail to: Harris County - Houston Sports Authority Partnership Tower 701 Avenida De Las Americas, Suite 450 Houston, TX 77010 Thank you for all of your kind words and support. Sincerely, Janis Burke CEO Harris County - Houston Sports

Weightlifter Matthias Steiner became a singer

Matthias Steiner can add “pop singer” to his long list of accomplishments as the Gold medal winning Olympic weightlifter dropped his first song in March from the Album “Zurückgeliebt” and now his latest pop song in August, 2017. The title translates to “loved back,” but given the lyrical content, “loved back to life” could be a more accurate description. It is surprising when one of Olympic weightlifting’s most memorable athletes singing a pop ballad, but Steiner has a serious set of pipes on him. Take a look at the official video of "Zurückgeliebt". Fans of Matthias Steiner may have noticed that the lyrics could be reflecting some of his own history. Two years after he married Susann Steiner in 2005, she died in a tragic car accident. In a 2008 interview, he described his emotional state at the time. Though he considered quitting the sport, he found the courage to persevere with his training and ultimately won Gold in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with a 258kg Clean & Jerk in the +105kg bodyweight category. The win was one of the most emotionally charged and Steiner dedicated his victory to his late wife, holding up a picture of her on the podium after accepting his Gold medal. In 2010, he remarried to German television journalist Inge Posmyk, and in a Google Plus post,  Steiner confirmed that “Zurückgeliebt” is about Posmyk “loving him back to life” after his tragic loss. Today, Steiner lives with his wife and child and is an accomplished motivational speaker, TV host, author, and now singer. In 2016, he wrote Das Steiner Prinzip (The Steiner Principles) about how he lost one hundred pounds in one year. You can read more of his inspiring story under the following link. Source: Barbend

29th SEA Games