Russia has been awarded its first world championship in an Olympic sport since the start of the Ukraine war, with Moscow set to host the 2030 World Weightlifting Championships Moscow is set to host the 2030 World Weightlifting Championships, marking the first time a world championship for an Olympic sport will be held in Russia since the start of the Ukraine war. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) confirmed the news on Sunday, four months after it announced Russian and Belarusian athletes would be eligible to compete in IWF events. The Federation added that Ahmedabad, India, will host the 2029 World Weightlifting Championships. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player “All the bids we received were excellent and we are sure that the Championships in your respective countries will be a huge success,” IWF General Secretary Jose Quinones said.
“It is also worth noting that three of these four countries will be organising an IWF world event for the first time – Kosovo, Venezuela and India. “This demonstrates our sport is growing worldwide and the staging of our competitions is highly desirable for many nations around the planet.” In July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted its suspension on Russian athletes, a move that could see some become eligible to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The move ended a ban that had been in place since 2023 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The 2025 World Athletics Championships, which were set to be hosted in Kazan, were subsequently moved to Singapore.
During that period, the Russian flag and anthem have not been seen or heard at summer Olympic events, and only some athletes from the country have been able to compete as neutrals. IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the decision was to “ensure all athletes have the possibility to compete at the games and not be held responsible for their government’s actions”. Coventry also added the IOC would not be staging competitions in Russia or invite government officials to its events, but would allow international federations to make their own decisions on hosting of events. In September 2025, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their country’s national flags at the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games in 2026.
The IWF slowly began lifting restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes in 2026, first removing suspensions for youth and junior athletes earlier in the year, before announcing in June that athletes across all age categories would be eligible to compete. The 2026 World Weightlifting Championships get underway on October 27 in Ningbo, China, with seven Ukrainian Athletes currently listed to compete.
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