In Warsaw, Poland, on October 24 and 25, 2024, the EWF Executive Board and Special Congress meetings took place, activities organized also in the context of the celebration of the 55th anniversary from the establishment of the European Weightlifting Federation, which took place in Warsaw on September 20, 1969.
The EWF Special Congress took place, in the Warsaw Plaza Hotel, just one day before the big start of the Junior and U23 European Championships, organized and hosted by the Polish Weightlifting Federation, between October 26 and November 03, 2024, in the “Centrum Sportu Raszyn”, not far from the capital Warsaw.
The presidium, led by EWF President, Kt. Antonio Conflitti and the General Secretary, Dr. Milan Mihajlovic, ensured the development of a historic and high protocol meeting.
At the main table were also EWF Honorary President and IWF General Secretary Dr. Antonio Urso, EWF Treasurer, Dr. Astrit Hasani, Polish Weightllifting President and NOC Vice President, Waldemar Gospodarek and representatives of Continental Federations from Africa and Asia, Khaled Mehalhel President of African Weightlifting Federation and Mohamed Al Harbi, General Secretary of the Asian Weightlifting Federation.
EWF HAS A NEW LOGO
Among the most important points presented and deliberated during the Congress, following the approval of the Executive Board, was the approval of the new EWF logo, a more modern emblem of the Continental Federation, which, however, retains elements from the previous logo, such as the leaves of laurels, which were joined to a disc, a representative element of our sport and, of course, the official name of the organization.
A LARGE SPACE DEDICATED TO THE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND EWF DISTINCTIONS
The European Weightlifting Federation wanted to celebrate the 55th anniversary of its foundation in a very special way that would go down in history. The meeting of delegations from 39 Member Federations from our continent and the presence of several personalities from the IWF leadership and from other continents was marked by the remembrance of the events of 1969, also held in Warsaw. The Host Federation has created an impressive database with performance data, results, individual athlete files, in order to provide everyone with complete information about the European Championships organized over the decades. All this with the support of dedicated people from the world of continental weightlifting and beyond, including Zbigniew Gorlewski, Member, along with Gerhard Peya, in the EWF Historical Commission. The first EWF Bulletin since its inception, as well as the Danube Cup results book, were provided for Congress delegates.
The Delegate Members at the Special Congress received a customised anniversary watch with the EWF 55 years logo, precisely to emphasise even more strongly the EWF’s desire to draw attention to the importance of our past and the development that weightlifting has benefited from, on a continental level and only.
Also on this occasion, distinctions were presented for personalities from the European weightlifting family, according to the decision of the Executive Board, as follows:
– EWF GOLD COLLAR to Mr. Oleksandr Gerega, President of the Ukrainian Weightlifting Federation. For the commendable and continuous philanthropic activities in support not only of weightlifting but the entire Ukrainian Olympic movement in a period of extreme difficulty for the country;
The EWF offered anniversary medals and official badges with the new logo to the guests from the IWF and the Continental Federations, that were with us and wanted to celebrate with our Federation at this important “age”sending messages of congratulation and unity:
“The European Weightlifting Federation has a long and proud tradition, and it’s an honour to join in celebrating this landmark. I wish all the athletes and coaches’ great success in this Championships, and I look forward to witnessing the strength of each competitor,” Al Harbi stated.
“It’s a joy to see how our partnerships between Asia and Europe grow stronger each year. Together, we will keep working closely in all areas to support the growth of weightlifting worldwide.”
WFA’s President addressed a congratulations message expressing also the availability and openness to support the Member Federations in Europe at the level of IWF Development Program.
For their part, several Member Federations presented anniversary trophies to the EWF leadership as a sign of appreciation for the activity carried out, on the occasion of this important meeting.
2025 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Following the meeting of the EWF Executive Board, on October 24, 2024, the Members of the EWF Congress also received information about and confirmed the 2025 European Championships and the Electoral Congress, as well as about continental championships for 2025:
Moldova
EWF Electoral Congress, 11 April 2025 European Senior Championships, 13-21 April 2025
Albania
European Junior & U23 Championships
Poland
European Youth & U15 Championships
THE EWF FAMILY HAS A NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBER
Following the deliberation of the EWF Executive Board for the confirmation of Associate Member status, the members of the EWF Congress unanimously approved the decision to grant this quality to Faroe Islands. The announcement generated great joy at the level of the delegation from the Faroe Islands, who, through President Heini Hatun, thanked the delegates and the EWF leadership, assuring that they will do everything in their power to develop weightlifting nationally and in international representation.
The EWF President Conflitti enthusiastically commented on the EWF administrative activities in Warsaw: “I feel privileged to witness this anniversary event. It is also the reason why it was decided, at the EWF Executive Board level, to have this meeting with the Member Federations to celebrate this anniversary moment and, of course, to make important decisions for the present and the future of our sport. I thank the Secretary General, Dr. Milan Mihajlovic and the entire Executive Board for supporting the EWF projects and the meeting in Warsaw. I congratulate all those who participated, I thank the guests and colleagues from the IWF Executive and, last but not least, I wish good luck to the athletes and all the teams participating these days in the European Championships for Juniors and U23, from Raszyn. I thank and congratulate the Polish Weightlifting Federation for the good activity, but also for the commitment to organize our activities at a high level.”
For Dr. Milan Mihajlovic, who is following in his father’s footsteps as Secretary General of the EWF, the activities in Warsaw were even more emotional: “It is something very special to be in the city where EWF was established. Our duty is to keep alive the flame of our history. We will continue with our development projects, supported by the Executive Board, but we will also lean towards the identity and legacy left by our predecessors. The virtual museum will soon become a reality as the confirmation of our interest in history and the past.”
