Why Have The Olympic Weightlifting Classes Changed Twice?

Consistency is key when preparing for anything, but it is especially important for weightlifting and even more critical when preparing for a major weightlifting combination to have a clear idea of the rules, to know the weights of each bumper plate and who you are expected to compete against.

The lack of this stability and consistency has led to some controversy when the International Weightlifting Federation announced its weight categories for the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games.

The positive and encouraging news that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has granted two additional weight categories has been tempered somewhat by the fact that the IWF has changed the categories twice and created a moving target for many competitors aiming for a spot at the world’s biggest weightlifting competition.

To understand why, it is important to look at not only the issues with changing the categories repeatedly but also how this fits into a pattern of behaviour that nearly threatened the entire sport as an Olympic event.

Turn And Face The Strange

In late 2024, the IWF announced that they were changing its weight divisions for senior and youth competitions. These categories were:

• Men: 60kg, 65kg, 71kg, 79kg, 88kg, 98kg, 110kg, +110kg

• Women: 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, +86kg

However, the decision by the IOC to only allow for ten total weightlifting divisions (five men’s, five women’s) forced the IWF to make difficult decisions to adjust the divisions to ensure they were equal and avoid significant gaps that could force some competitors into difficult decisions.

The biggest change was the reduction of what was the 98kg category to 94kg, which brings it more in line with the gaps between other weight divisions, but means that there is a huge 16kg gap between categories.

After the IOC gave them another division, the IWF changed the categories again completely, with the following 12 categories approved for the LA games themselves:

• Men: 65kg, 75kg, 85kg, 95kg, 110kg, +110kg

• Women: 53kg, 61kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, +86kg

As well as these, there are also 60kg and 70kg divisions for men, and 49kg and 57kg divisions for women that will not be competed for in Los Angeles.

Regardless of the increase in categories, only 120 athletes will qualify for the Olympics, and the constant shuffling of criteria has brought with it controversy as weightlifters begin their preparations years in advance of qualifying with a particular weight class in mind.

For example, Mirabai Chanu, a silver medal winner in what was the 49kg division, will be forced to move up to the heavier 53kg division if she wants to compete.

As well as this, three changes in less than a year means that most world records set in 2025 are voided, something that has caused disquiet in the past amongst athletes, as the hard work they place into pushing themselves to the limits is wiped from the history books.

However, the wider reasons why the categories keep changing are due to the ripple effects of a scandal that shook the sport to its foundations.

Avoiding The Unthinkable

In 2020, the IOC threatened to do the unthinkable and drop weightlifting from the Olympic schedule for 2028, which would have been the first time that it was not competed at the Olympic Games since its return for Antwerp 1920.

The reason for this was the revelation of decades of corruption at the heart of the sport’s governing body, something that a Reuters article in 2020 revealed but could still put the sport in danger of losing its highest profile platform.

The catalyst for this revelation was a 2020 documentary by German state broadcaster ARD  called “Secret Doping - The Lord Of The Lifters”, which made many serious ethical and criminal accusations concerning regulatory and financial irregularities.

These included but were not limited to cover-ups of rule violations, election fraud and financial corruption, which totalled over £10m.

It very nearly was dropped from the 2024 Paris games before last-minute reforms led to its reinstatement, albeit with four fewer categories and 76 fewer weightlifters.

This conditional reinstatement continued into 2028, and it remains to be seen what will happen in the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.

Whilst some elements have been fixed, there were still issues when it came to discussing weight class changes with athletes and the regional federations, with the reduction to eight being highlighted.

Even the IOC itself noted with some confusion the repeated changes in categories, although it framed the situation more as a challenge for lifters to overcome.

Exactly what will happen next and whether this will lead to more stability remains to be seen.