The end of the sports blockade: the first Olympic tournament in Russia since 2022

Moscow is bringing back world weightlifting: Russia’s capital will host the 2030 World Cup!

For the first time since 2022, Russia will host international competitions in the Olympic sport. The Executive Committee of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has officially approved Moscow as the venue for the 2030 World Cup. This decision marks an important precedent for Russian sports: the Russian Weightlifting Federation (TFAR) became the first organization to return an Olympic tournament of such a high level to the country after a long hiatus.

The results of the competitive selection were summed up by the IWF after a detailed audit of all the files received. The application campaign started on September 3, 2026 and ended with the signing of the final protocols. The process was held in strict confidentiality: the reception of documents from national federations was stopped on October 5, 2026 at 17:00 Central European time. In order to ensure the independence of the Evaluation Commission and to avoid mutual pressure between competing countries, the International Federation classified the interim lists of applicants until the final vote. Each candidate provided a full package of documents, including state guarantees of support and paid the technical costs of the inspection.

President of the Russian Weightlifting Federation Alexander Vinokurov noted the historical significance of the achieved result. According to him, Russia has the necessary experience and capabilities to organize competitions of the highest level. Moscow, which has repeatedly hosted major international sports events, has a modern infrastructure. The main task of the organizers is to provide the best conditions for athletes, coaches and all participants, making the championship a real celebration of weightlifting and an important stage in the preparation of athletes for the 2032 Olympic Games.

The high appreciation of the professional work of the FCAR team from the global sports community has become a key success factor. The Russian bid offered the best long-term program that could give a powerful media and infrastructure boost to the development of the sport. In 2030, the World Cup will be the first qualifying start for selection for the 2032 Olympics, where the strongest weightlifters of the planet will gather.

For Moscow, this event will be a return to the rich traditions of hosting world championships. The capital of Russia has hosted the strongest athletes in the world three times in history.

In 1975, the competition was held at the Luzhniki Sports Palace, bringing together 169 participants from 33 countries. Then the USSR national team won an unconditional victory in the unofficial team standings, winning four gold and four silver medals in the total double-athlon. At those competitions, the legends of Soviet sports David Rigert and Vasily Alekseev shone.

In 1980, the World Championship was held as part of the XXII Olympic Games. According to the regulations of that time, the Olympic competitions in Moscow had the official status of the world championship. In the Izmailovo Palace of Sports, Soviet athletes took half of the entire gold reserve of the planet - five medals out of ten possible. The winners were Kanybek Osmonaliev, Viktor Mazin, Yurik Vardanyan, Leonid Taranenko and Sultan Rakhmanov.

The last at the moment the Moscow World Championship was held in 1983 again in the sports complex "Izmailovo". These competitions went down in history as one of the most productive by records. The USSR national team showed a phenomenal result, winning six gold and four silver medals in the double-athlon. World records were then set by Oksen Mirzoyan, Yurik Sargsyan, Yurik Vardanyan and Vyacheslav Klokov.

Now, more than four decades later, Moscow is once again poised to open its doors to the elite of world weightlifting, confirming its status as one of the leading centres of international sport.