An ancient sport as old as mankind, embodying the most direct manifestation of human strength, weightlifting has not only flourished, but also developed into a modern sporting discipline for the 21st century. The apparent simplicity of lifting the barbell from the ground and over the head in one or two movements is deceiving. Weightlifting requires a combination of power, speed, technique, concentration and timing. Super heavyweight lifters normally claim the title of World’s Strongest Man or Woman. However, kilo per kilo, the lightest weightlifter is often the strongest. Men’s weightlifting was on the programme of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Women participated for the first time at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.

Discipline's origin

As a basic athletic activity and a natural means to measure strength and power, the lifting of weights was present in both the ancient Egyptian and Greek societies. Developing its international scope chiefly in the 19th century, weightlifting was among those few sports (alongside athletics, swimming, gymnastics, fencing, wrestling, shooting and cycling) which featured on the programme of the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896, in Athens. The first World Championships in this sport, however, had been staged five years earlier: on 28 March 1891, in London, with seven athletes representing six countries. The power relations have undergone major changes over past decades.

At the beginning of the century, Austria, Germany and France were the most successful nations. Later on, Egypt, then the United States of America reigned. In the 1950s and the following three decades, the Soviet Union's weightlifters played the protagonists' role - with Bulgaria and other East European nations being the major challengers.

In the 1990s, China, Turkey, Greece and Iran catapulted to the lead. In the women's field, China has been dominant since the very beginning, with other Asian countries (e.g. Thailand) emerging as strong contenders to the championship and Olympic titles. Europe has remained the most powerful continent in the men's ranks, with a significant boost in Asian weightlifting. Asian women have definitely seized power over their European counterparts, but other continents, e.g. North and South America, can also boast female Olympic champions.

Olympic history

Weightlifting has been on the programme of the Olympic Games every year except for 1900, 1908 and 1912.

The Olympic weightlifting programme has developed a great deal throughout the decades. Today lifters compete in the snatch and the clean and jerk and are classified according to their combined total result. At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, men competed in eight bodyweight categories: up to 56kg, 62kg, 69kg, 77kg, 85kg, 94kg, 105kg and +105kg. Women participated in seven categories: up to 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, and +75kg. The programme of events for the 2008 Beijing Games is the same.

The most successful Olympic weightlifters of all time are Naim Süleymanoglu and Halil Mutlu of Turkey, Pyrros Dimas, and Kakhi Kakhiasvillis of Greece, each of whom won three Olympic titles. Hungary's Imre Földi, Ronnie Weller and Ingo Steinhöfel hold a special record, being five-times Olympians.

Counting all the 22 Olympic Games, weightlifters representing 32 NOCs have so far won Olympic gold medals. Among the women, seven nations have produced Olympic champions at the last two Games.

Weightlifting equipment

Barbell

Equipment consisting of a steel bar and rubber-coated discs of different weights fastened onto it. In weightlifting competitions, competitors must lift the barbell loaded to a certain weight under strictly specified conditions. In competition, the barbell's weight is progressively loaded by one-kilo increments.

Collar

A metal component that encircles the bar and secures the weights in place (weighing 2.5kg each).

Disc

An individual cylindrical weight on the bar. The weight of the discs ranges between 0.5kg and 25kg, symmetrically loaded on the bar in accordance with the weight requested by the athlete for his/her attempt.

Sleeve

The end parts of the bar where the weights are attached.

Referee light system

The three referees give their decision about the correctness and validity of each lift by pressing white or red light buttons on a small device in front of them. As soon as a referee has judged a lift as correctly completed, he or she will press the white light button, or, if the attempt is