Russia to host 2030 world weightlifting champs in Olympic federation first

PARIS, France — Moscow was announced Sunday as host of the 2030 world weightlifting championships, the sport's governing body becoming the first Olympic federation to hand Russia global staging rights since 2022. No world championships in an Olympic sport, summer or winter, have been held in Russia since the start of the war against Ukraine. The 2025 world swimming champs, initially attributed to the Russian city of Kazan, were moved to Singapore. "Concerning the IWF (Senior) World Championships in 2029, it will be staged in Ahmedabad (India), and Moscow (Russia) will host the 2030 edition," the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said in a statement. IWF general secretary Jose Quinones added that "all the bids we received were excellent and we are sure that the championships in your respective countries will be a huge success". In a post on Telegram, Russian Weightlifting Federation president Aleksandr Vinokurov thanked the IWF "for their trust", with the 2030 world champs also serving as a qualifying event for the 2032 Olympic Games. "Russia has all the necessary experience and capabilities to host competitions of the highest level," he said. "Moscow has repeatedly staged major international sporting events and has modern infrastructure." The federation toasted its success in snagging the hosting rights. "The Russian Weightlifting Federation...