USAW Responses to New IWF Weight Classes, Competition Updates

Release updated Dec. 20, 2024 following the relase of the youth weight classes by the IWF

COLORADO SPRINGS - On Dec. 3, 2024, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced new weight categories that go into effect starting June 1, 2025. The federation also announced that the 2025 editions of the Youth World Championships and Junior World Championships will run simultaneously April 30-May 6 in Lima, Peru as a two-platform meet.

On new IWF weight categories:

New IWF weight categories effective June 1, 2025:

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

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

For the Youth age group, the categories are:

MEN: 56kg, 60kg, 65kg, 71kg, 79kg, 88kg, 98kg, +98kg
WOMEN: 44kg, 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, +77kg

To stay in line with the IWF’s implementation of the new categories, USAW expects to implement new competition categories on June 1, 2025. The first USA Weightlifting national meet with the new categories will be National Championships Week that runs June 21-29 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 2025 North American Open Series 1, 2025 National University Championships and 2025 Masters National Championships will run with the current weight categories.

Once new qualifying totals are announced, athlete totals attained during the qualifying periods for nationals week and Masters Nationals will be honored based on the actual body weight recorded in the results. IE: A male athlete seeking to qualify for senior nationals at 89 kg who surpasses the 290 kg qualifying total will have his total honored for the new 88 kg category if he weighed in at or below 88 kg when the total was made. If he was over 88 kg, his total will be applied to the new 98 kg category for nationals qualification.

The beginning of nationals week registration will be delayed to give our team time to update our registration system.The following updates will happen on February 1, 2025:

• USAW will release the new weight class qualifying totals.
• USAW will release the new record standards, when and where needed.
• USAW will open registration for the 2025 Nationals Week, 2025 North American Open Series 2, and the 2025 North American Open Finals.

We appreciate our members’ patience as we adjust to these IWF changes.

On new weight categories as they relate to qualifying for the National Team Program (NTP) and International Competitions

This will be handled in a 3 step approach.

First, as the new IWF weight classes go into effect in June, USAW will continue to use the published NTP qualifying procedures to determine the first six-month rankings of the NTP (through June 30, 2025). Those rankings will use the current 2024 A/B standards as already published in the program. [See NTP Resources section at bottom of this page]

Second, USAW will work with a sports statistician to formulate new A/B standards in the coming weeks using the end of year IWF rankings with the current weight categories.  These standards will then be used to formulate A/B standards for the new IWF weight categories. Those updated A/B standards become USAW’s 2025 A/B standards that apply to NTP qualification and team selection starting July 1, 2025.

Finally, for athletes with a goal of qualifying for the national team or for an international event in the second half of the year (after July 1), USAW will publish specific totals that must be or have been achieved in the current weight categories to be converted and applied to the standards for the new body weight categories.

On the combination of the 2025 Youth and Junior World Championships:

Due to the IWF moving the Junior World Championships up in the competition calendar, and since Team USA athletes must be in a testing pool and subject to whereabouts requirements no later than 3 months prior to the start of competition for all international competitions to

comply with IWF and International Testing Agency (ITA) anti-doping rules (5.5.16), the final domestic qualifying meet for both the Youth World Championships and the Junior World Championships is the 2024 North American Open Finals. With this schedule change, we unfortunately must cancel the February 27th junior super session at the North American Open Series 1 as it would be beyond the deadline for athletes to qualify for Junior Worlds. Adjusting those qualification deadlines is a necessary step based on the IWF’s scheduling changes. Athletes and coaches who had registered for the super session can have their registration costs refunded if they wish by sending a request to usaw@usaweightlifting.org. Otherwise, they will be slotted into the normal NAOS1 competition schedule.

The national team selection procedures have been updated to reflect changes related to the combination of the Youth and Junior World Championships.