Moscow to Host 2030 World Weightlifting Championships
The International Weightlifting Federation has announced that Moscow will host the 2030 World Weightlifting Championships. It will be the first world championship in an Olympic sport held in Russia since the war in Ukraine began.
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said on Sunday that the Russian capital, Moscow, will stage the 2030 World Weightlifting Championships. The 2029 edition will be held in Ahmedabad, India. For Moscow, it will be the first such championship since 1983.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, no world championship in any Olympic sport, summer or winter, has taken place in Russia. The 2025 World Aquatics Championships were originally awarded to Kazan but were later relocated to Singapore.
"All the bids we received were excellent, and we are sure the championships in your respective countries will be a huge success," said IWF General Secretary Jose Quinones.
Russia's return to international sport
Russian and Belarusian weightlifters have been allowed to compete in IWF events since July, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). The move is seen as part of Russia's gradual return to international sport. The IOC Executive Board said athletes should not be held responsible for the actions of their governments.
No decision has yet been made on whether Russian athletes will compete at the Olympic Games under their national flag, colors and anthem. The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the IOC's decision.
The ROC was suspended in October 2023 after it recognized regional Olympic councils in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Russia's return also comes against the backdrop of one of the biggest doping scandals in Olympic sport. The country has been under scrutiny since a 2015 report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency found evidence of systematic doping in Russian athletics. Later investigations uncovered a state-backed cover-up linked to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The IOC said all Russian athletes returning to international competition must meet the relevant anti-doping requirements.
