Author: ewfAdmin

It is with deep sorrow that we inform you of the passing of Branko Zemunik (CRO).Branko Zemunik (Split, 30 September 1952 – Zagreb, 14 April 2026) was a distinguished Croatian weightlifting coach, strength and conditioning specialist, and author of professional literature.Born in Split in 1952, he completed his education in Zagreb. He began his weightlifting career in 1969 at the Weightlifting Club Metalac, where he remained throughout his entire competitive career. As an athlete, he was a multiple-time Croatian champion and a champion of Yugoslavia.Following the conclusion of his competitive career, Mr. Zemunik dedicated himself to coaching. From 1988 to…

The European Weightlifting Federation is pleased to share information received from the Georgian Weightlifting Federation, host of the 2026 European Weightlifting Championships in Batumi, Georgia.EWF extends its sincere appreciation to GWF for the introduction of monetary prizes for medal winners — an initiative being implemented for the first time in the history of the European Weightlifting Championships. According to the statement from GWF:“ We are delighted to announce an exciting new highlight for the athletes participating in the European Weightlifting Championships in Batumi.“I am pleased to share that, at the initiative of the Georgian National Weightlifting Federation and with the…

By SWFOn Saturday, 28 March, at Congress in Ljubljana, Slavko Laljek was re-elected as President of the Slovenian Weightlifting Federation, securing the confidence of the federation’s members for another term at the helm of the sport’s national governing body. The members of the Executive Board were also elected as follows: General Secretary Valentin Orešek, along with Jure Škedelj, Peter Dobnik, and Martin Janžekovič SWF President Slavko Laljek (right) & SWF GS Valentin Oresek (left) SWF EB Laljek re-election marks a continuation of the federation’s current leadership and is expected to provide stability as Slovenian weightlifting continues its development at both…

By Denise OffermanOn Monday, 9 March, EWF Vice President Stian Grimseth and EWF Technical Committee member Denise Offermann visited the EOC EU Office in Brussels.The EOC EU Office welcomed us with great interest and was eager to learn more about weightlifting in Europe, its history, its development, and the needs of the various regions across Europe.It then introduced its network of direct collaboration with the EU institutions and presented its successful sport projects funded by the European Union.The EOC EU Office has developed a number of tools within its Erasmus+ Sport projects, with the objective of helping sport organisations improve…

By IWFPyrros Dimas is the most Olympic medalled lifter in the history of the IWF and also the most successful Greek athlete in the Games history (all sports included). Today, he received a special tribute at the Olympic House in Lausanne (SUI), where he had the honour to sign the Olympian’s Wall. In a ceremony attended by IOC President Kirsty Coventry and the IWF President Mohammed Jalood, the immense champion could not hide his emotion and happiness for this recognition. The IWF General Secretary José Quiñones and the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic in Switzerland, Ms Ekaterini Simopoulou were also…

By Denise OffermanFrom the 12th  to 15th  February, the Armenian Weightlifting Federation invited 3 EWF Technical Committee members to conduct an EWF Technical Official Seminar in conjunction with the 2026 Armenian National Weightlifting Championship in Yerevan.The main purpose of the seminar was to educate and prepare Armenian male and female Technical Officials for the 2027 IWF World Championship.The Seminar was very well attended, with almost 30 participants. The Armenian National Championship gave all Armenian TO’s  to experience in rotation the various important Technical Official positions.Arayik Alaverdyan, Koba Obolashivili and Denise Offermann surveyed as 3 Bench Jury the active rotation.With very…

By FFHMAs part of the 500-day countdown to the 10th Francophonie Games 2027, which will take place in Yerevan from July 23 to August 1, 2027, a meeting was held this Wednesday, March 11, at the Ministry of Sports. In attendance were Ms. Marina Ferrari, Minister of Sports; Mr. Thibaut Despres, Head of the French Delegation; and Mr. Christophe Gigaudaut, Delegate for Francophone Affairs at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The French Weightlifting Federation (FFHM) was represented by Michel Raynaud, President, and Philippe Geiss, National Technical Director.The call for applications is currently open: 79 applications received to date,…

On 27 February 2026, the EWF Executive Board convened online and approved the EWF Calendar for 2026. To determine the organizer of the European Youth & U15 Championships and identify candidates capable of guaranteeing the participation of all EWF Member Federations in line with IWF Policy without further delay, the Executive Board decided to award the 2026 European Youth & U15 Championships to Kosovo.The event will be held in Pristina from 20–27 August 2026. Notably, the same competition was also successfully staged in the capital of Kosovo in 2017.The EWF Executive Board also reviewed preparations for the 2026 European Championships…

The European Weightlifting Federation mourns the passing of Ivo Borozan, a cherished figure in Croatian weightlifting who devoted his life to the sport—first as an athlete, and later as a federation administrator and International Technical Official. Ivo passed away on 25 February 2026.It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to our longtime friend, Ivo Borozan, a true champion in weightlifting and an extraordinary human being. Throughout his career, Ivo was a multiple-time weightlifting champion and record holder of Yugoslavia and Croatia. Afterwards, he served as a long-term Secretary of the Croatian Weightlifting Federation and held the status of…

The EOC EU Office of Sports “The House of European Sport” serves as the Brussels-based representation of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) to the European institutions.The Office promotes the interests of the Olympic Movement and organised sport at European Union level and cooperates with an extensive network of partner organisations across Europe.The first meeting between the EWF and the office of European Sport was held during the 7th European Evening of Sport, which took place on 17 November 2025 in Brussels. The event brought together distinguished leaders of the Olympic Movement, representatives of the European institutions, and members of the…