IWF World Junior Championships:
Iranian weightlifters depart for Egypt after visa delay resolved
The Iranian eight-man weightlifting squad finally departed for Egypt on Monday morning after a visa delay threatened to derail their participation in the IWF World Junior Championships, which began in Ismailia on Saturday.
While the team had been stuck in limbo in recent weeks, the Iranian federation worked hard to secure entry visas for its members amid the ongoing wartime situation in the country. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) also reportedly intervened on Iran’s behalf, pressing for the team’s participation.
The visas were finally issued in the early hours of Monday, allowing the contingent to travel immediately.
Before the recent military conflict disrupted domestic sports programs, the Iranian squad – coached by former world and Olympic champion Sohrab Moradi – had shown impressive form in training. However, the outbreak of hostilities forced the closure of national team camps.
The coaching staff says the young Iranians have posted notable records during their preparation period and will be highly regarded as serious medal contenders in the Egyptian city.
The Iranians will get their campaign underway on Wednesday, with Amir-Mohammad Rahmati and Mohammad-Amin Dadvand vying for success in the men’s -88kg contest.
Hamidreza Zarei – a clean and jerk gold medalist at last year’s competition in Lima, Peru – will be joined by fellow Iranian Mohammad-Amin Habibi in the -94kg event on Thursday.
The final day of the showcase will see reigning world junior silver medalist Abolfazl Zare and Farhad Qolizadeh compete in the -110kg class, before Hamidreza Mohammadi-Tanha and Taha Nemati-Moqaddam conclude the Iranians’ run in the tournament.
Tanha and Nemati dominated the superheavyweight class last year, completing an all-Iranian one-two, with the former claiming a clean sweep of golds.