The International Weightlifting Federation Responded to the Scandal Involving Russian Military Athletes

The International Weightlifting Federation responded to the appeal of 'Glavkom', which mentioned Russian weightlifters who unlawfully visited annexed Crimea and are members of the Russian military club CSKA. These Russians were included in the list of potential participants in the World Championship scheduled for October in Norway.

Since May 2023, the IWF has established a strict protocol for the inclusion of AIN athletes and support personnel in competitions, in accordance with the Olympic Committee's recommendations. These rules will apply to AIN participants at the upcoming World Championship. A thorough verification process is being conducted concerning all athletes and personnel with AIN status.

Russian weightlifters who violated Ukrainian legislation during a training camp in Crimea may gain access to participate in the championship. This was also reported on the Base of Ukrainian Sports resource.

• Anastasia Romanova
• Artem Okulov
• Danilo Vagaiev
• Zulfat Garayev
• Georgiy Kuptsov
• Serhiy Petrov
• Georg Serobyan
• Yevgeniya Guseva
• Mikhail Podkoritov

These Russian weightlifters have been banned from international competitions due to Russia's war against Ukraine, but according to the decision of the IWF executive committee, they may compete in events under a neutral status.

The International Weightlifting Federation believes that Russian athletes who violated Ukrainian legislation by visiting Crimea may have a chance to participate in future World Championships, but only under a neutral status in accordance with the new protocol. These Russians have also been listed as participants in these competitions, but it is known that their past actions have raised doubts and discussions within the sports community.