Moscow awarded 2030 World Weightlifting Championships, first Olympic federation world event in Russia since 2022 invasion
Moscow will host the 2030 World Weightlifting Championships, the International Weightlifting Federation announced on Sunday, marking the first time an Olympic federation has chosen to stage a global event in Russia since the country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The decision comes four months after the IWF confirmed Russian athletes would again be eligible to compete in its events.
The IOC provisionally lifted its suspension on the Russian Olympic Committee in July, a suspension that had been imposed following the invasion of Ukraine, and said that no decision had been taken on whether Russia could display their flag, colours and anthem at the Olympic Games. The IOC added it would continue to "not organise IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events." Some Russian athletes competed at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan as neutrals, and the International Paralympic Committee had already allowed the country’s athletes to compete under their national flag at the Winter Paralympics.
The IWF announced host cities for four world championships across junior, youth and senior levels, and awarded the 2029 senior event to Ahmedabad in India. "All the bids we received were excellent and we are sure that the championships in your respective countries will be a huge success," said IWF general secretary Jose Quinones.
No world championships in an Olympic sport, summer or winter, have been held in Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine. The 2025 World Aquatics Championships, initially awarded to the Russian city of Kazan, were moved to Singapore. Moscow has not hosted the World Weightlifting Championships since 1983.
The Russian Weightlifting Federation said: "[We are] the first Olympic sports federation to succeed in bringing a top-level official competition back to the country in many years." Federation president Aleksandr Vinokurov thanked the IWF in a post on Telegram "for their trust" and added: "Russia has all the necessary experience and capabilities to host competitions of the highest level," he said. "Moscow has repeatedly staged major international sporting events and has modern infrastructure."
Ukraine has filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport requesting that the IOC decision to lift its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee be annulled. Five Ukrainian athletes are listed to compete in the 2026 IWF World Championships in Ningbo, China, which are scheduled to take place from 27 October to 8 November, and the 2030 Moscow championships will also serve as a qualifying event for the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia.