This article details the qualifying phase for weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics . The competition at these Games includes 196 athletes. Each competing nation is allowed to enter a maximum of 8 competitors, 4 men and 4 women. The IWF released its qualification list on 28 June 2021.
Qualification system For each weight class, 14 weightlifters qualify. These places are allocated as follows: Eight from the IWF ranking list. Five continental places from that ranking list, with one per continent limited to NOCs without other qualified athletes. One from either the host nation (six weight classes) or Tripartite Commission invitation (eight weight classes).
An NOC could only qualify one athlete per weight class, and four per sex across all weight classes.
The maximum number of athletes per NOC across all weight classes could also be limited due to anti-doping violations: if any NOC had between 10 and 19 violations from the 2008 Summer Olympics period through the end of 2020 qualifying, it was limited to two men and two women. If any NOC had 20 or more violations, it was limited to one man and one woman.
Furthermore, six nations are currently suspended by the IWF for multiple doping offenses, and thus are barred outright from the 2020 Games. Four of these suspensions have been confirmed,NUMBER OF ANTI-DOPING RULE VIOLATIONS AS OF 12 APRIL 2021 , from iwf.net while two are part of ongoing appeal proceedings.
Below are a list of nations with restricted numbers as a result of high levels of historic doping offences.
Excluded outright from 2020 Summer Olympics:
Restricted to one male and one female lifter for 20 or more violations:
(40) (34) (34) (25) (21) (20, forfeited one place)
Restricted to two male and one female lifters for 20 or more violations:
(forfeited five places, appeal proceedings ongoing)
Restricted to two male and two female lifters for between 10 and 19 violations:
(19) (18) (17) (15, forfeited one place) (14) (13) (13) (11) (11) (10)
Also forfeited places: : forfeited one place due to positive doping test.
Places earned by the ranking list (including continental places) or Tripartite Commission were awarded to the specific athlete by name. Places for the host nation were awarded to the NOC, which could allocate them among the various weight classes. If Japanese weightlifters qualified through the ranking list, the number of host nation places would decrease (that is, the host places would only be used if Japan qualified fewer than three men and three women, and only so many as needed to bring Japan up to those numbers would be used). Unused host places would be awarded through the world ranking list.
Ranking points could be earned at various weightlifting events with a multiplier based on the level of event (gold events had a 1.1 multiplier, silver 1.05, and bronze 1.0). The best results in each of the three periods were considered (1 November 2018 – 30 April 2019; 1 May 2019 – 31 October 2019; 1 November 2019 – 31 May 2021), along with the overall best result. To qualify, the weightlifter must have competed in at least one event in each of the three periods, have competed in at least six events overall, and have competed in at least one gold-level event and one other gold- or silver-level event. These restrictions were loosened for athletes using host nation quota places (who needed only one event in each period and one gold- or silver-level event) and Tripartite Commission invitation places (two events overall, including at least one gold- or silver-level).
With all sporting competitions postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee approved the IWF's decision to extend its qualifying program by a year. Hence, the third phase, severely affected by the pandemic, would be split into two distinct periods with an interval between 30 April and 30 September 2020. Scores attained during the interval would not be counted towards the IWF Absolute World and Continental Rankings, respectively.
Eligible ranking events were: Gold – World and continental championships Silver – IWF events, including multi-sport games and championships Bronze – other international competitions
Timeline Gold Level Event Date Venue 2018 World Championships November 1–10, 2018 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 2019 European Championships April 6–13, 2019 Batumi, Georgia 2019 Asian Championships April 20–30, 2019 Ningbo, China 2019 Pan American Championships April 23–27, 2019 Guatemala City, Guatemala 2019 African Championships April 25–29, 2019 Cairo, Egypt 2019 Pan-American Junior Championships May 20–28, 2019 La Habana, Cuba 2019 World Junior Championships June 1–8, 2019 Suva, Fiji 2019 Oceania Championships July 9–14, 2019 Apia, Samoa 2019 Oceania Junior Championships July 9–14, 2019 Apia, Samoa 2019 World Championships September 18–27, 2019 Pattaya, Thailand 2019 European Junior Championships October 18–27, 2019 Bucharest, Romania 2019 Asian Junior Championships October 20–27, 2019 Pyongyang, North Korea 2020 Asian Junior Championships February 13–19, 2020 Tashkent, Uzbekistan 2021 European Championships April 3–11, 2021 Moscow, Russia 2020 Asian Championships April 16–25, 2021 Tashkent, Uzbekistan 2020 Pan American Championships April 18–25, 2021 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 2021 African Championships May 27–29, 2021 Nairobi, Kenya 2021 World Junior Championships May 23–31, 2021 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Silver Level Event Date Venue 2019 EGAT's Cup International Championships February 7–10, 2019 Chiang Mai, Thailand 2019 IWF World Cup February 22–27, 2019 Fuzhou, China 2019 International Fajr Cup March 1–5, 2019 Tehran, Iran 2019 African Zone 2 Regional Championship March 2–7, 2019 Nairobi, Kenya 2019 IWF Grand Prix – ODESUR CSLP May 11–12, 2019 Lima, Peru 2019 Japan-China-Korea Friendship Tournament July 6–7, 2019 Tokyo, Japan 2019 Pan American Games July 27–30, 2019 Lima, Peru 2019 Pacific Games July 9–14, 2019 Apia, Samoa 2019 Mediterranean Cup October 4–6, 2019 Serravalle, San Marino 2019 Southeast Asian Games November 30 – December 10, 2019 Manila, Philippines
Qualification summary NOC Men Women Total 61 kg 67 kg 73 kg 81 kg 96 kg 109 kg +109 kg 49 kg 55 kg 59 kg 64 kg 76 kg 87 kg +87 kg 2 1 1 2 5 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 5 2 8 3 4 1 5 4 4 4 4 1 4 1 1 1 1 5 2 1 5 7 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 4 1 2 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 3 1 1 2 1 1 8 4 1 1 7 1 5 3 5 2 8 4 4 2 Total: 77 NOCs 14 14 14 14 15 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 197
Men's events 61 kg Section Places NOC Qualified weightlifterIWF Absolute World Ranking 8 Li FabinEko Yuli IrawanThạch Kim TuấnYoichi ItokazuShota MishvelidzeSimon BrandhuberSeraj Al-SaleemIgor SonIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Africa 1Eric AndriantsitohainaIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Americas 1Luis GarcíaIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Asia 1Kao Chan-hungIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Europe 1Davide RuiuIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Oceania 1Morea BaruRellocation of Tripartite Commission Invitation 1Marcos Rojas Total 14
67 kg Section Places NOC Qualified weightlifterIWF Absolute World Ranking 8 Chen LijunAdkhamjon ErgashevLuis Javier MosqueraMuhammed Furkan ÖzbekMirko ZanniMitsunori KonnaiBernardin Kingue MatamDeniIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Africa 1Tojonirina AndriantsitohainaIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Americas 1Jonathan MuñozIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Asia 1Han Myeong-mokIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Europe 1Goga ChkheidzeIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Oceania 1Ruben KatoatauTripartite Commission Invitation 1Talha Talib Total 14
73 kg Section Places NOC Qualified weightlifterIWF Absolute World Ranking 8 Shi ZhiyongClarence CummingsBozhidar AndreevJulio MayoraBriken CaljaKarem Ben HniaMasanori MiyamotoMarin RobuIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Africa 1Abderrahim MoumIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Americas 1Jorge CárdenasIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Asia 1Rahmat Erwin AbdullahIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Europe 1David SánchezIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Oceania 1Brandon WakelingReallocation of Tripartite Commission Invitation 1Mahmoud Al-Humayd Total 14
81 kg Section Places NOC Qualified weightlifterIWF Absolute World Ranking 8 Lü XiaojunBrayan RodallegasAntonino PizzolatoZacarías BonnatRejepbaý RejepowHarrison MaurusRitvars SuharevsNico MüllerIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Africa 1Ramzi BahloulIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Americas 1Arley MéndezIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Asia 1 — —IWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Europe 1Andrés MataIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Oceania 1Cameron McTaggartTripartite Commission Invitation 1Amur Salim Al-KhanjariRe-allocation of unused quota place 1Erkand Qerimaj Total 14
96 kg Section Places NOC Qualified weightlifterIWF Absolute World Ranking 8 Fares IbrahimYauheni TsikhantsouAnton PliesnoiBoady SantavyYu Dong-juKeydomar VallenillaToshiki YamamotoTheodoros IakovidisIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Africa 1Christian AmoahIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Americas 1Olfides SáezIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Asia 1Bekdoolot RasulbekovIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Europe 1Bartłomiej AdamusIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Oceania — — — Tripartite Commission Invitation 1Mohammed HamadaIOC Invitation 1Cyrille Tchatchet IIRe-allocation of unused quota place 1Chen Po-jen Total 15
109 kg Section Places NOC Qualified weightlifterIWF Absolute World Ranking 8 Simon MartirosyanAkbar DjuraevTimur NanievAli HashemiArkadiusz MichalskiArtūrs PlēsnieksHristo HristovJin Yun-seongIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Africa 1Aymen BachaIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Americas 1Wesley KittsIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Asia 1Öwez ÖwezowIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Europe 1——IWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Oceania 1Matthew LydementTripartite Commission Invitation 1Tanumafili JungblutRe-allocation of unused quota place 1Arnas Šidiškis Total 14
+109 kg Section Places NOC Qualified weightlifterIWF Absolute World Ranking 8 Lasha TalakhadzeAli DavoudiMan AsaadHojamuhammet ToýçyýewWalid BidaniMarcos RuizSargis MartirosjanDavid LitvinovIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Africa 1 — —IWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Americas 1Caine WilkesIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Asia 1Hsieh Yun-tingIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Europe 1Jiří OrságIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Oceania 1David LitiRe-allocation of Tripartite Commission Invitation 1Enzo KuworgeRe-allocation of unused quota place 1Péter Nagy Total 14
Women's events 49 kg Section Places NOC Qualified weightlifterIWF Absolute World Ranking 8 Hou ZhihuiSaikhom Mirabai ChanuJourdan DelacruzBeatriz PirónWindy Cantika AisahKristina SobolNatasha Rosa FigueiredoNina SterckxIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Africa 1Roilya RanaivosoaIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Americas 1Ludia MonteroIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Asia 1Fang Wan-lingIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Europe 1Anaïs MichelIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Oceania 1Dika TouaHost nation 1Hiromi Miyake Total 14
55 kg Section Places NOC Qualified weightlifterIWF Absolute World Ranking 8 Liao QiuyunHidilyn DiazMuattar NabievaZulfiya ChinshanloAna Gabriela LópezKristina ŞermetowaKamila KonotopHam Eun-jiIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Africa 1Nouha LandoulsiIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Americas 1Rachel Leblanc-BazinetIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Asia 1Chiang Nien-hsinIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Europe 1Joanna ŁochowskaIWF Absolute Continental Ranking – Oceania 1Mary Kini LifuHost nation 1Kanae Yagi Total 14
59 kg