Pathway to Paris
Qualifying for Paris '24 is a multi-step process for lifters around the globe. All Olympic hopefuls must compete in two mandatory events - the 2023 IWF World Championships and the 2024 IWF World Cup - in addition to three qualifying events for a total of five competitions. The full list of Paris '24 qualifying events are:
2022 IWF World Championships, December 2022
2023 Continental Championships / Continental Games
- 2023 Pan-American Championships
- 2023 Pacific Games & Oceania Championships
2023 IWF Grand Prix I, June 2023
2023 IWF World Championships, September 2023
2023 Grand Prix II, December 2023
2024 Continental Championships, February 2024
- 2024 European Championships (U.S. competed as guest lifters)
2024 IWF World Cup, March 2024
Lifters compete to move up the Olympic Qualifying Rankings (OQR) which are sorted based on overall total in kilograms and only include the above competitions. The OQR lists the highest-ranked lifter for a country at that particular weight, as each National Olympic Committee (NOC) can qualify just one lifter per weight category. All NOCs are limited to qualifying just three men and three women for a total of six athletes.
2024 Olympic Weight Categories
Women: 49kg, 59kg, 71kg, 81kg, +81kg
Men: 61 kg, 73kg, 89kg, 102kg, +102kg
Following the end of the qualification period (after the IWF World Cup), the highest OQR-ranked ten athletes in each Olympic body-weight category will be allocated a quota place to the Paris '24 Olympic Games. Should an athlete be ranked top-10 in multiple body-weight categories, their NOC must declare by May 6, 2024 the category that the athlete will compete. If a NOC has more than three lifters per gender in qualifying position, that NOC must declare by May 15, 2024 which of their athletes shall be allotted the quota places. The non-declared athletes will be removed from the OQR and eligble athletes from other NOCs will slot up.
Final Qualification Ranking lists will be published by the IWF by May 24, 2024. NOCs then confirm by May 31, 2024 if they intend to use their allotted quota places.
The full IWF qualifying procedures are available here.