EWF was informed about the newly established weightlifting training center by the Swedish Weightlifting Federation.
“The Swedish Weightlifting Federation launches on September 1, together with Eleiko Group AB and the University of Halmstad, a national training center where the idea is to bring together Sweden’s best lifters and coaches and at the same time enable the combination of elite sports and university studies.
In the last four years, Sweden has won over 20 European Championship medals in senior and youth categories, in addition to a couple of World Championship medals. These are extraordinary results that Swedish weightlifting has not been able to reach since the end of the 60s.
The Swedish Weightlifting Federation is now continuing the work by launching Elite Environment Weightlifting Halmstad (ETH) which will be a common environment for training, education and development. An international coach is being recruited to ETH to lead the initiative, and resources in nutrition, biomechanics, sports medicine, sports psychology, and leadership will also be linked to it.
– ETH wants to attract lifters who, after high school age, can imagine investing in an elite career in weightlifting while studying or working. Which is in line with the Swedish Sports Confederation’s intention to support dual careers. ETH is also supposed to contribute to educating coaches, arranging seminars and trainings, says Joakim Eriksson, president of the Swedish Weightlifting Federation, and continues:
– We are proud that, after several years of work, we have concluded an agreement that extends from now until 2024. We believe that ETH can be of crucial importance in our pursuit of European Championship medals, top 8 positions at World Championships and Olympic participation.
Eleiko Group AB’s CEO Erik Blomberg:
– For Eleiko, ETH means an opportunity to support the development of weightlifting in Sweden. We hope that ETH will lead to better Swedish results internationally but also to broaden weightlifting in Sweden. Our role is to be part financier of the project and to provide facilities for training and education. Not least through the Eleiko Sportcenter, which is an optimal facility for this venture.
Halmstad University, which is also part-funder, is a National Sports University and already has two similar elite sports environments with the Swedish Golf Federation and the Swedish Table Tennis Federation.
– We contribute knowledge about education and research, but also help potential elite sports students manage their dual careers. We can give them support both in their sport and future profession. Through ETH, we can also be involved in seeking external research funding for interesting and pressing issues that can elevate Swedish weightlifting to a national and international level, says Urban Johnson, professor at Halmstad University and project manager for the National Sports University.
Facts of cooperation partners ETH
Eleiko Group AB
Eleiko’s mission is to make people stronger, so that they can perform better – in sport and in life. For over 60 years, Eleiko has been a world leader in the strength industry. Eleiko is uniquely certified by IWF, IPF and WPPO. More than 1,000 world records have been broken with Eleiko’s barbell, which has participated in both the WC and the Olympics. With a focus on quality, innovation and customer service, they are the leading supplier of both equipment and training in strength, products have been delivered to over 180 countries.
Halmstad University
Halmstad University, in collaboration with Malmö University, is a National Sports University during the period 2022-2026 and works broadly to promote elite sports through education, research and support for dual careers. The research at Halmstad University is internationally known and is conducted within interdisciplinary innovation and research environments. The university takes an active part in societal development through extensive and recognized collaboration with both the private and public sectors.
Swedish Weightlifting Federation
The Swedish Weightlifting Federation, which was founded in 1922, works to develop, administer and represent Swedish weightlifting with just over 100 associations, 1,000 competitive lifters and 12,000 members. The Swedish Weightlifting Federation’s office has been located in Idrottens Hus in Stockholm since 2020, and since then there has been development in many areas such as organization, training and digitization. In recent years, the association has, among other things, started projects with young girls and boys with good initial results.
More detail information:
Mats Lindqvist, sports director Swedish Wightlifting Federation: +4670-812 21 28 “
Source: Svenska Tyngdlyftningsförbundet