IWF To Add New Women's Bodyweight Division

IWF To Add New Women's Bodyweight Division

In an effort to achieve more gender equality between men's and women's events at the Olympics, the IWF Technical and Competition Rules Committee has suggest

May 26, 2016 by Armen Hammer
IWF To Add New Women's Bodyweight Division
In an effort to achieve more gender equality between men's and women's events at the Olympics, the IWF Technical and Competition Rules Committee has suggested that an eighth women's division, 85+kg, be added for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. This would match the total number of men's divisions, which means that for the first time in history, countries would be able to send men's and women's weightlifting teams to the Olympics that are equal in size. 

The committee also suggested reviewing the existing bodyweight categories on both the men's and women's side. Historically, the weight classes are revisited every 20 or so years, the last time being 1998 when the men's divisions were cut down form 10 total divisions to 8 and the women's divisions were cut down from 9 to 6. 

Here's the full story from Moira Lassen, the Chair of the IWF Women's Committee.