Iran makes bid to host 2028 Asian Weightlifting Championships
Iran has submitted a bid to host the 2028 Asian Weightlifting Championships, Sajjad Anoushiravani, chairman of the Iranian Weightlifting Federation, announced on Wednesday.
The tournament will serve as a qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Iran has previously hosted the Asian Championships on six occasions, most recently in 1993, when Tabriz staged a men-only edition of the event.
Anoushiravani said Mohammed Jalood, the Iraqi president of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), has already pledged his support for Iran’s bid. The proposal will now be reviewed at a meeting of the Asian Weightlifting Federation’s Executive Board, to be held on the sidelines of the 2026 Asian Senior Championships.
“I have discussed the bid with Mr. Jalood and Iran’s Sports Minister, Mr. [Ahmad] Donyamali,” said Anoushiravani, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist. “I will travel to the Asian Confederation’s headquarters in Doha in the coming days for further consultations on hosting the event. After that, the final decision will rest with the IWF Executive Board.”
Asked whether the annual International Fajr Cup in Tehran could serve as an Olympic qualifying event if Iran fails to secure hosting rights for the Asian Championships, Anoushiravani said it would not be possible.
“When the Fajr Cup previously served as an Olympic qualifier, the IWF selected qualifying events on a year-by-year basis,” he said. “The International Olympic Committee has now established a fixed qualification pathway, consisting of three World Championships, two Continental Championships and five Grand Prix events. The Fajr Cup is not included in the official Grand Prix calendar.”
Under former Olympic champion Behdad Salimi, a rejuvenated Iranian team was represented by three weightlifters at May’s Asian Championships in Jiangshan, China, winning a total of eight medals across two men’s weight categories.
In the 96kg class, Alireza Moeini and Ali A’alipour claimed an all-Iranian one-two in the snatch, before A’alipour went on to secure gold in the clean and jerk and the total. Moeini added a bronze medal in the total.
In the +109kg category, Ayat Sharifi won silver in the snatch before producing a stronger showing in the clean and jerk to claim double golds in the lift and the overall total.