Kathmandu, July 24

The International Weightlifting Federation was fully satisfied with the preparation of Nepal in hosting the Youth and Junior Asian Weightlifting Championships that officially kicked off on Sunday.

IWF President Tomas Ajan, who is here to witness the biggest weightlifting competition hosted by Nepal so far, said he was impressed with the preparation of the Nepal Weightlifting Association and that the management aspect was of World Championship standard.

“It’s a great impression. The event is the biggest event so far hosted by NWA in the history of Nepali sports and I am satisfied with the way the association managed to organised the competition in their first attempt,” said Ajan, who is also the Honorary Member of International Olympic Committee and Board Member of WADA Foundation. “The NWA deserves full credit in all aspects, including the venue and logistics,” he added.

A total of 241 players from 38 Asian countries are participating in the championships that feature three categories — 19th Youth, 24th Junior Women’s and 31st Junior Men’s. “The participation of 38 countries is also a record and I am happy that the NWA managed all the delegates without any problem,” he added. “Hats off to NWA President Ratan Tandon, General Secretary Parth Sarathi Sengupta and the whole NWA team. They have done a lot of hard works for the championships,” said Ajan.

“Sengupta and I are very close to each other for the last 35 years and that is also why I’m here this time around.”

Asked about the Nepali lifters who competed in the morning session, Ajan said they needed more exposure and experience of international competitions. “Naturally Nepali lifters need more exposure and experience. I have asked NWA officials to send the players to as many international events as they can,” said Ajan. “The IWF has managed training for two-three good Nepali lifters in China and we will bear the cost for that,” said Ajan, also the President of Hungarian Olympic Academy.

Ajan said the IWF was working on improving the standard of lifters across the globe. “With 192 member countries in five continents and participation in Olympic Games since 1896, weightlifting is strong sport in the world. We are working hard to stimulate the game and it is one of the attractive sports in the world,” said Ajan.

“Asia is the world powerhouse in weightlifting and we are doing a lot to develop the sport in the region. We need more lifters to compete in international competitions and we have been working on that,” said Ajan.

“As far as Nepal is concerned, we are helping them and we will keep doing so in future as well,” he added. The IWF donated equipment worth Rs 20 million to Nepal, while the Asian Weightlifting Federation provided the NWA with $30,000 for the event.