The European Weightlifting Federation is pleased to publish a continuation of the research on European junior weightlifting, focusing on the U16 and U17 age categories, authored by Gerhard Peya, President of the Austrian Weightlifting Federation and Member of the EWF Historical & Statistical Commission.
The EWF expresses its sincere appreciation to Mr. Peya for his continued contribution to the preservation and development of the sport.
First U16 European Championships
The first championships for schoolboys and girls took place in Kosice, Slovakia, under the direction and regulation of the then president of the Slovakian Association, Dr Karol Guman. In the following years, numerous European federations quickly developed an interest in participating in this format in 1992 and 1993. It was recognised that he time span until junior age was too long.
Development of participant numbers
After only boys competed in 1992 and 1993, girls joined in 1994 in Ljubljana. There were 8 categories for boys and categories for girls. From 1995 to 2000, there were 9 plus 7 categories. In 2000, when weightlifting for women became an Olympic sport, there could only be a total of 15 categories (8 male, 7 female). The total number of participants approached the 220 mark in absolute terms. The percentage of girls increased from around 30% at the beginning to around 40%. In 2003, the age limit was raised to 17. Ten years later, in 2013, it was recognised that the youngest athletes also needed their international debut. The U15 age group was introduced, marking another milestone in the development of the sport. This format has remained in place until today, 2025. The percentage of young female starters has levelled off at around 50% of the total field.
As so often before, the IWF followed European developments. In 2009, the IWF introduced the U17 Youth World Championships.
Gerhard Peya
