"New" IWF Weight Categories....

 

Today the "NEW" weight divisions go into effect.  It will be interesting to see where everyone lands with the new divisions.  Tim has chosen the -65kg Male Youth to be his division moving forward.  

Tim naturally falls into the -65kg division without having to cut weight.  We will have to see where he lands come January 1, 2026 when he moves to Juniors.  We aren't on the page of cutting so we will have to see where he lands as he fills out.  His coach said that he will be doing a lot of filling out these next few years.  

This is from Weightlifting House:

It is as of now unclear which five of the new weight classes will be selected for each gender at the 2028 Olympics. It may look something like:

• Men: 60KG, 71KG, 88KG, 110KG, +110KG
• Women: 48KG, 58KG, 69KG, 86KG, +86KG

If things shake out this way, Olympic hopefuls who exist in the vast liminal space between divisions (a 22-kilogram gap between the Men's 88 and 110-kilo classes would be the largest in modern Olympic history) may find themselves displaced from a viable path to qualification.

In short, the IOC's decision is a blow to weightlifting's positive trajectory in recent years, at least at the Olympic Games. Elsewhere, at least, things are a bit brighter; weightlifting was recently added to the program for the European Games beginning in 2027. 

Articles:

1 - https://usastore.weightliftinghouse.com/blogs/news/iwf-new-weight-classes-weightlifting#:~:text=Junior%20&%20Senior%20Weight%20Classes%20%7C%20Women,the%20Olympics%20in%20three%20years  

2-  https://usastore.weightliftinghouse.com/blogs/news/weightlifting-restrictions-2028-olympics