Moscow To Host 2030 World Weightlifting Championships Despite Ukraine Invasion

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced Sunday that Moscow will stage the 2030 World Weightlifting Championships, making it the first Olympic sports federation to award a global event to Russia since the country’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

The decision comes four months after the IWF confirmed that Russian athletes would again be allowed to compete in its events. In July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which had been imposed after the invasion. That move potentially cleared the way for Russian athletes to compete for their country at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The IWF also announced host cities for four world championships at junior, youth and senior levels. The 2029 senior world championships were awarded to Ahmedabad, India.

“All the bids we received were excellent and we are sure that the championships in your respective countries will be a huge success,” IWF general secretary Jose Quinones said.

No world championships in an Olympic sport, summer or winter, have been held in Russia since the war in Ukraine began. The 2025 World Aquatics Championships, originally 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 it was “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 on Telegram “for their trust.” He said the championships would also serve as a qualifying event for the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia.

“Russia has all the necessary experience and capabilities to host competitions of the highest level,” Vinokurov said. “Moscow has repeatedly staged major international sporting events and has modern infrastructure.”

When the IOC provisionally lifted Russia’s suspension in July, it said no decision had been made on whether Russia could display its flag, colours and anthem at the Olympic Games. The IOC also said it would continue to “not organise IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events.”

Some Russian athletes competed as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and at this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan. Ukraine has filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) seeking to annul the IOC’s decision to lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. The IOC’s move followed the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to end Russia’s exclusion from global sports events, allowing Russian athletes to compete under their national flag at the Winter Paralympics.

Five Ukrainian athletes are listed to compete at the 2026 IWF World Championships in Ningbo, China, scheduled to take place from 27 October to 8 November.