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Tokyo 2020: New dates announced

IWF welcomes Tokyo 2020 decision to schedule Olympic Games from 23 July – 8 August 2021

Following today’s announcement of the revised dates for Tokyo 2020, the IWF has expressed its full support for the successful staging of the Olympic Games.

“Thanks to this decision, an important part of the uncertainty being faced by athletes with Olympic ambitions has now been removed,” said IWF Acting President Ursula Papandrea. We will now work with the IOC to expedite the resolution of the Olympic Qualifying System for weightlifting, in order to provide weightlifters with further certainty.”

“There is now a vast amount of work to be done, but we have already been so impressed by the work of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, including the delivery of the successful weightlifting test event. In addition to our sincere thanks for that work, the IWF would now like to add its deepest gratitude to Tokyo 2020 for their willingness to take on the challenge of a rescheduled Olympic Games while also dealing with COVID-19.”

“With the highlight of the Summer of 2021 now established, the IWF will calendar its events accordingly. In the meantime, the IWF would like to encourage everyone to follow the advice of public health authorities in preventing the spread of the pandemic. Best wishes to you all.”