IMWA
(Masters Weightlifting)
Welcome to the official IMWA website
THE FIRST 2022 International Masters Online Virtual Weightlifting FAMILY Championship Results are now published
Click the link below
www.masterswlchampionship.com/
Click the link below
www.masterswlchampionship.com/
Masters Weightlifting is the Olympic sport of weightlifting for persons 35 years old or older. Weightlifting is the ultimate sport of strength and power and should not be confused with power lifting, bodybuilding, or general weight training. Weightlifting consists of two events; the snatch and the clean-and-jerk.
IWF-Masters is a part of the IWF or International Weightlifting Federation, the governing body for the sport of weightlifting and member of the International Olympic Committee. The IWF-Masters Weightlifting website is operated independently of the IWF website. Its purpose is to promote the sport of weightlifting in general and masters weightlifting in particular. Any suggestions, comments, questions, or complaints should be directed to the IWF-Masters General Secretary, IWF-Masters Chairman, or webmaster for this site. For a brief history of the IWF Masters please see below
WEB SITE SUBMISSIONS: This web site is available for inclusion of IWF Masters weightlifting information. To include information in the web site, send your submissions to the IWF-Masters General Secretary, Bill BARTON, in electronic format. Bill will review and approve the submitted material and forward it to the web master for addition to the site.
IWF-Masters is a part of the IWF or International Weightlifting Federation, the governing body for the sport of weightlifting and member of the International Olympic Committee. The IWF-Masters Weightlifting website is operated independently of the IWF website. Its purpose is to promote the sport of weightlifting in general and masters weightlifting in particular. Any suggestions, comments, questions, or complaints should be directed to the IWF-Masters General Secretary, IWF-Masters Chairman, or webmaster for this site. For a brief history of the IWF Masters please see below
WEB SITE SUBMISSIONS: This web site is available for inclusion of IWF Masters weightlifting information. To include information in the web site, send your submissions to the IWF-Masters General Secretary, Bill BARTON, in electronic format. Bill will review and approve the submitted material and forward it to the web master for addition to the site.
THE IWF MASTERS
A Brief History (1985-2022)
A Brief History (1985-2022)
Introduction
All Masters Committees are and have been run by volunteers, possibly alongside the lifters in being most important in the running of Masters weightlifting championships. The idea of the Masters and the start of retired weightlifters taking up their sport and competing again was the concept of Bill Clark (USAU). Bill’s big interest was baseball but on retiring he took up weightlifting and introduced many innovative ideas which still thrive today, possibly his greatest idea was to bring women into weightlifting at a time when this was not allowed. You could say he was the spark which lit many fires.
A brief history
The first organised World Masters Championship was in 1985 and it attracted 78 lifters from 5 nations, but it was 1989 before the Masters started to get organised. At the 1989 WMG Aalborg, Denmark, the first Congress of Nations was held and on the agenda a list of nominees who had volunteered to work on a “World Masters Committee” if elected. The elected Chairman was Walter Imahara (USA) who served in this position until 2008 Congress in Kefalonia Greece. Between 1989 and 2008 Mr. Imahara introduced Doping Control in 1993, a rulebook with many printed copies, and the World Masters Committee became the IWF Masters Committee.
The new IWF Masters Chairman elected in 2008 was Bob Hemery (AUS) who stayed only one year to the 2009 WMG Sydney and was not seen again after 2009.
From 2010 to 2016 the IWF Masters was run by the General Secretary who was responsible for introducing a new IWF Masters rulebook which included a much-needed constitution all of which was approved by Congress, doping control was conducted using only WADA approved labs, and in 2011 the idea of a Secretariat was approved by the IWF Masters Executive Board. It was the idea of the Secretariat to stop using the paper entry forms and move to an online championship registration system which was first introduced at the 2017 European Masters Championship in Sweden. Possibly the most momentous year was 2014 when the Congress was held at the IWF Masters Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark. A proposal by the USA Masters translated into more than 30 languages was voted unanimously and led to the IWF accepting the Masters and allowing autonomy. At all Masters championships the lifters are 35 and older and compete ín 5 year age groups.
At the 2016 IWF Masters World Championship in Heinsheim, Germany, the totally unexpected happened when the number of entries suddenly reached over 900 which was approximately 400 more than the average entry and over 200 more than the 2013 WMG Turin, Italy. In addition, many “late entry requests” were made and refused which would have increased the entries to over 1000.
In 2016 a new IWF Masters Chair was elected unanimously by Congress in Heinsheim – Germany. It was a triumph for women’s weightlifting when Denise Offermann, Cyprus, was elected the first woman to Chair the IWF Masters Committee. Possibly this appointment reflects on the efforts and foresight of Bill Clark (USA) more than 30 years previously in the 1980’s. Denise immediately formed a new Anti-Doping Panel which included an Anti-Doping Secretariat to deal with organising doping control for championships and dealing with the most complicated matter of results management. She is a tireless worker for Masters weightlifting and has quickly raised her own profile and the profile of Masters weightlifting.
Concluding comment
Many Masters, men and women, hold the belief that Masters weightlifting is about competing for as long as possible in their chosen sport, not necessarily to win medals but just to enjoy the idea of competitions again and enjoy the social aspects of making and meeting friends.
Sadly, the social aspects and benefits appear to be fading in recent years but the benefits to long-lasting good health will always remain.
All Masters Committees are and have been run by volunteers, possibly alongside the lifters in being most important in the running of Masters weightlifting championships. The idea of the Masters and the start of retired weightlifters taking up their sport and competing again was the concept of Bill Clark (USAU). Bill’s big interest was baseball but on retiring he took up weightlifting and introduced many innovative ideas which still thrive today, possibly his greatest idea was to bring women into weightlifting at a time when this was not allowed. You could say he was the spark which lit many fires.
A brief history
The first organised World Masters Championship was in 1985 and it attracted 78 lifters from 5 nations, but it was 1989 before the Masters started to get organised. At the 1989 WMG Aalborg, Denmark, the first Congress of Nations was held and on the agenda a list of nominees who had volunteered to work on a “World Masters Committee” if elected. The elected Chairman was Walter Imahara (USA) who served in this position until 2008 Congress in Kefalonia Greece. Between 1989 and 2008 Mr. Imahara introduced Doping Control in 1993, a rulebook with many printed copies, and the World Masters Committee became the IWF Masters Committee.
The new IWF Masters Chairman elected in 2008 was Bob Hemery (AUS) who stayed only one year to the 2009 WMG Sydney and was not seen again after 2009.
From 2010 to 2016 the IWF Masters was run by the General Secretary who was responsible for introducing a new IWF Masters rulebook which included a much-needed constitution all of which was approved by Congress, doping control was conducted using only WADA approved labs, and in 2011 the idea of a Secretariat was approved by the IWF Masters Executive Board. It was the idea of the Secretariat to stop using the paper entry forms and move to an online championship registration system which was first introduced at the 2017 European Masters Championship in Sweden. Possibly the most momentous year was 2014 when the Congress was held at the IWF Masters Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark. A proposal by the USA Masters translated into more than 30 languages was voted unanimously and led to the IWF accepting the Masters and allowing autonomy. At all Masters championships the lifters are 35 and older and compete ín 5 year age groups.
At the 2016 IWF Masters World Championship in Heinsheim, Germany, the totally unexpected happened when the number of entries suddenly reached over 900 which was approximately 400 more than the average entry and over 200 more than the 2013 WMG Turin, Italy. In addition, many “late entry requests” were made and refused which would have increased the entries to over 1000.
In 2016 a new IWF Masters Chair was elected unanimously by Congress in Heinsheim – Germany. It was a triumph for women’s weightlifting when Denise Offermann, Cyprus, was elected the first woman to Chair the IWF Masters Committee. Possibly this appointment reflects on the efforts and foresight of Bill Clark (USA) more than 30 years previously in the 1980’s. Denise immediately formed a new Anti-Doping Panel which included an Anti-Doping Secretariat to deal with organising doping control for championships and dealing with the most complicated matter of results management. She is a tireless worker for Masters weightlifting and has quickly raised her own profile and the profile of Masters weightlifting.
Concluding comment
Many Masters, men and women, hold the belief that Masters weightlifting is about competing for as long as possible in their chosen sport, not necessarily to win medals but just to enjoy the idea of competitions again and enjoy the social aspects of making and meeting friends.
Sadly, the social aspects and benefits appear to be fading in recent years but the benefits to long-lasting good health will always remain.