Russia given first championships since Ukraine invasion

Moscow will host the 2030 World Weightlifting Championships - the first time an Olympic federation has chosen to stage a global event in Russia since the country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced its decision on Sunday, four months after confirming Russian athletes would again be eligible to compete in its events.

In July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted a suspension on the Russian Olympic Committee.

That suspension had been imposed following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The IOC's subsequent decision potentially opened the way for Russian athletes to compete for their country at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The IWF announced the host cities of four world championships at junior, youth and senior levels, awarding the 2029 senior event to Ahmedabad in India.

"All the bids we received were excellent and we are sure that the championships in your respective countries will be a huge success," said IWF general secretary Jose Quinones.

No world championships in an Olympic sport, summer or winter, have been held in Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The 2025 World Aquatics Championships, initially awarded to the Russian city of Kazan, were instead moved to Singapore.

Moscow has not held the World Weightlifting Championships since 1983.

The Russian Weightlifting Federation said: "[We are] the first Olympic sports federation to succeed in bringing a top-level official competition back to the country in many years."

"Russia has all the necessary experience and capabilities to host competitions of the highest level," he said.