IWF World Cup and Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification

Seven Australian lifters competed in the IWF World Cup and final Olympic Qualification Event held recently in Phuket, Thailand. All the processes of the Olympic Qualification System won’t be completed until the end of May, however the AWF is confident that three Australian lifters will be allocated places in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At the conclusion of the IWF World Cup, Eileen Cikamatana ranked 5th in the women’s 81kg category, easily qualifying within the Top 10 of the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking . Jacqueline Nichele and Kyle Bruce were the highest ranked athletes from a continent not represented in the Top 10 of their respective categories of Women 71kg and Men 89kg, making them eligible for Continental Representation slots at the Paris Olympic Games.

Four other Australian lifters, Brenna Kean, Kiana Elliott, Sarah Cochrane and Oliver Saxton, pursued Olympic Qualification over the full course of the qualifying period which began in December 2022, but were not successful.

According to the IWF timeline, the final Olympic Qualification Ranking lists will be published on 24^th May and National Olympic Committees will be notified about the allocation of quota places to athletes by name. The AWF will nominate eligible athletes to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) by 27^th May and the AOC will determine the selection of weightlifters in the Australian Olympic Team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

AWF Youth Development Camp

15 Youth lifters will participate in a training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, from the 19^th to 25^th April. Directed by Paul Coffa with the assistance of six additional Camp Staff, the young lifters will train twice per day, following the program successfully used by the Oceania Weightlifting Institute. Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Eileen Cikamatana will also attend the camp, providing the opportunity for the young athletes to train alongside one of the world’s best weightlifters as she prepares for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Athletes

Camp Staff

This Youth Development Camp is funded by grants provided to the AWF by the Australian Institute of Sport and Commonwealth Games Australia.

AWF Under 23 & Junior Championships

The 2024 AWF Under 23 & Junior Championships will be held at The Rev Barbell Club, Balcatta, Perth, WA in 7^th – 9^th June. Entries must be submitted via the State Administration portal on the AWF website by midnight on Friday 26^th April. A separate email with further information will be sent to State Member Associations today.

All competitors must have completed the following Sport Integrity Australia courses. SIA will crosscheck the entry list and provide the AWF with compliance reports.

• Anti-Doping Fundamentals
• Annual Update 2024

Register and complete courses online at https://elearning.sportintegrity.gov.au/

AWF Masters Championships, Oceania Masters Championships and UMWF Masters World Cup

The 2024 AWF National Masters Championships, Oceania Masters Championships and UMWF Masters World Cup will be held concurrently at the Matra on View Hotel, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast QLD, on 19^th – 23^rd June. The eligibility requirements for each event are described in the AWF OWF UMWF Masters Event Regulations. Entries close at midnight AEST on Monday 6^th May. Individual entrants must register and pay the entry fee online at https://www.awf.com.au/competition/registration before the May 6th deadline.

All Australian competitors must have completed the following Sport Integrity Australia courses. SIA will crosscheck the entry list and provide the AWF with compliance reports.

• Anti-Doping Fundamentals
• Annual Update 2024

Register and complete courses online at https://elearning.sportintegrity.gov.au/

Again Faster is the official equipment supplier for the combined Masters event and the competition equipment is available for purchase at discounted prices on pre-order, with delivery after the event. See: Again Faster ex-comp equipment for details and pricing.

Oceania Elite International Tournament

The Oceania Weightlifting Federation will present the 2^nd Oceania Elite International Tournament at the Victorian Weightlifting Stadium, Hawthorn VIC, on 1^st & 2^nd June. This event will feature the Gold medallists from the 2024 Oceania Senior Championships and many of the Paris-bound lifters from the Oceania region plus other national and local lifters invited by the OWF. Following the tournament, most of the senior athletes will participate in an intensive OWF training camp at the OWI Gym in Dromana VIC.

AWF Services

Most State Member primary contacts will know that Bowen Stuart is now working fewer hours with the AWF. Bowen has embraced an opportunity to work with an Australian company providing creative technology solutions to major corporate clients, but he remains with the AWF as the Manager of Information Technology & Communications, managing the AWF’s IT systems and major event technology. Bowen’s regular day for AWF work on a weekly basis is Friday. On Monday 22^nd April Leo Isaac will take over as the AWF Coach Education Program Manager and all enquiries about Coach Education and communication via [email protected] will go to Leo.

AWF Calendar Amendment

When the date of the AWF Under 23 & Junior Championships was changed to 7^th – 9^th June, the qualifying period for the IWF Junior World Championships was adjusted to include this national event but the corresponding period for the Commonwealth Senior, Junior and Youth Championships was overlooked. To correct this misalignment, the qualifying period for selection considerations for both events is now 1 December 2023 – 9 June 2024. An updated calendar is attached, and this version will be uploaded to the AWF website soon.

Please note that the funding allocation available for the 2024 Commonwealth Championships is relatively small and participating athletes will be required to cover most, if not all, of their own costs.

Kind regards,
Ian Moir
AWF CEO