The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has decided to reduce the number of weight categories in both the men’s and women’s sections from 10 to 8 from June next year following a proposal by its Innovation Commission. The 55kg category in men’s section will be scrapped and competitions will start from 60kg, with categories in the 70s, 80s and 90s also being altered. The new proposed categories in the men’s section are 60kg, 65kg, 71kg, 79kg, 88kg, 98kg, 110kg, 110kg as compared to 55kg, 61kg, 67kg, 73kg, 81kg, 89kg, 96kg, 102kg, 109kg, and 109kg earlier.
In the women’s section, the 45kg category will be discarded and a new 48kg category introduced along with 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, and 86kg as compared to 45kg, 49kg, 55kg, 59kg, 64kg, 71kg, 76kg, 81kg, 87kg, and 87kg.
The 49kg category, in which India’s Mirabai Chanu had won a silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has also been scrapped.
“Approval of the IWF Innovation Commission proposal to introduce new bodyweight categories, from June 2025. In the men’s competition, they will be: 60kg, 65kg, 71kg, 79kg, 88kg, 98kg, 110kg, 110kg. Among women, the new categories are: 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, 86kg,” said the IWF Executive Board, which met here on December 2-3, in a statement.
It is not known what will be the Olympic and Non-Olympic weight classes in the men’s and women’s sections for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, only five weight classes were chosen — 61kg, 73kg, 89kg, 102kg and over 102kg in men and 49kg, 59kg, 71kg, 81kg and over81 kg in women.
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