Lausanne, Oct 6 (FN Agency) The International Weightlifting Federation has approved the rules for the Athletes Commission with participants at the 2021 IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent to serve as the electorate. It was one of the important steps taken when the IWF Executive Board met online and in person in Jeddah, Saudi-Arabia and discussed good governance measures, making several key decisions aimed at implementing the recently-adopted Constitution at the heart of the IWF’s reforms. The decisions focused on provisions for the various upcoming elections and ensuring they are conducted according to high levels of integrity, according to IWF. “The IWF has already turned a corner.
We already know that the composition of the Executive Board after the coming elections will be more representative of athletes, have improved gender equity and that all candidates will have had to go through eligibility checks that include strict provisions around clean sport,” said IWF Interim President Dr Michael Irani. “We already know this because of the Constitution adopted in August. Today’s decisions around the implementation of that Constitution are a further demonstration of just how far the IWF has come in terms of reform.” Terms of Reference were approved for the IWF’s new Legal Commission and Electoral Commission. There was also discussion about ensuring the IWF serves as the best possible example for Member Federations, with support being provided through translation of the IWF Constitution to several languages such as Spanish, French, Russian and Arabic and with possible continental seminars of the newly adopted rules. The election rules for the IWF Athletes Commission were also approved, with participants at the 2021 IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent to serve as the electorate.
Three athlete representatives will then go on to become members of the IWF Executive Board and also have a vote at the IWF Congress. The IWF Athletes Commission election rules will now be subject to approval by the Electoral Commission. After the approval of the Electoral Commission all details of the process will be provided to Member Federations. Taken together, these developments will make the IWF a leader in athlete inclusion in decision making. The IWF Executive Board also discussed progress towards the 2021 IWF World Weightlifting Championships, which continues to be on track. “We are determined to follow up on the clean weightlifting competitions of Tokyo 2020 with clean World Championships. After turning a corner, it is vital that weightlifting stays on the right track. And I am confident that the measures we are putting in place will ensure just that,” continued Interim President Irani.