Opening ceremony of the 2018 IWF World Championships is held

The most recent title of Ashgabat is the City of Health, Inspiration and Friendship because the city is becoming a sports hub. Year by year the number and level of international sporting events hosted by Ashgabat is increasing. These days Ashgabat hosts the World Weightlifting Championship. The 2018 IWF World Championships is held from November 1- 10 at the excellent sports facilities of the top-class Ashgabat Olympic Complex.

These facilities have already proved themselves as full-scale venues to organize top-tier sports events, by successfully hosting international sporting events, such as 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. 

In order to make sure that the WWC is held at the highest level, the Organizing Committee has put great efforts during the last several months. According to the current schedule, more than 1000 athletes and coaches from over 100 countries, as well as, hundreds of officials from the International Weightlifting Federation, other sports organizations and mass media have joined the championship event.  Currently, Sport Hotel and athlete hotels of Olympic Complex are planned for their comfortable accommodation. At the same time, Sport Hotel hosted the Congress of the International Weightlifting Federation and the conferences and other meetings of the relevant IWF committees.

Events take place at the Martial Arts Arena, which is one of the facilities of the Olympic Complex with rich sporting history. All favorable conditions are established there for athletes, technical officials, mass media and spectators, which is the largest customer group of the event. Overlay and facilities is set up for more than 1700 spectators, athletes and accredited sports officials. There are media offices, VIP, lounges, meeting rooms, medical offices, anti-doping center, warm-up zone, lodges and other amenities of high quality.

The Organizing Committee of World Weightlifting Championship will make every effort to ensure the world-class organization of the event.

The World Weightlifting Championships 2018 started in Ashgabat. The weightlifters competed in three weight categories.The competitions were continued in Groups B, C and D. 

In the competition of the male weightlifters, everyone’s attention was focused on the performances in 55 kg weight category. 16-year-old Italian weightlifter Massidda Sergio has set the juniors’ new world record. He managed to lift 236 kg in total and was the first weightlifter to set a new world record at the Ashgabat World Weightlifting Championships 2018.

 

The President of Turkmenistan sent a congratulatory letter to the participants of the World Weightlifting Championships in Ashgabat. The letter says:

“Athletes are Peace Ambassadors. With your skill and will, you must promote the high goals of the Olympics in a fair competition at the World Weightlifting Championships”. The letter also states: “Right before the celebration of our Independence holiday, a massive cycling race and competitive race, as well as the international rally “Amul-Khazar” were held along the Great Silk Road. Today the World Weightlifting Championships demonstrate to the world the capability of our Independent, permanently Neutral country of organizing large-scale sporting events”.

All these statements are the evidence of the high reputation of Turkmenistan as a sporting nation.

 

November 1, 2018. The Opening Ceremony of the World Weightlifting Championships will take place in Ashgabat today. An introduction of the new weight categories by the International Weightlifting Federation became the reason of the increased interest in competitions.

 

This morning, women competitions began in the weight category of up to 55 kg. In the afternoon, the male athletes will compete in the body weight categories from 55 kg to 61 kg.

 

The Opening Ceremony of the World Weightlifting Championships 2018 will be held in the Main Indoor Arena of the Olympic Village.

 

The World Championships competitions will be broadcasted on «Turkmenistan Sport» Channel, as well as many other international TV channels.

 

The IWF competitions in Ashgabat will be broadcasted on the following channels: «CCTV» (China), «BBC» (UK), «ESPN» (America), «MATCH TV» (Russia), «L'Equipe» (France), «ARD» (Germany), «ZDF», as well as on many other state-owned international TV channels.

Moreover, there will be an opportunity to watch the World Weightlifting Championships competitions on «Olympus» Channel.