The 2024 Olympics in Paris, France will host around 120 weightlifting athletes from all over the world — and a small handful who will march in blank uniforms and unadorned flags during the opening ceremonies.
Russia and Belarus are among a small handful of nations whose weightlifting athletes and their member federations have bucked qualification procedures set forth by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and International Olympic Committee (IOC).
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And the rapid resurgence of North Korea — one of the world’s most dominant weightlifting contingents — has further shuffled the board. Here’s how weightlifters from “banned” countries, as well as those on the brink of expulsion, made it to the 2024 Olympics.
What Countries Are “Banned” From the 2024 Olympics in Weightlifting?
No nation is necessarily “banned” from accessing the Olympics in any capacity — North Korea is the only country whose athletes cannot participate because their national federation is ineligible. However, athletes from certain countries have had to contend with complications and restrictions on their road to Paris due to their nationality.
In May of 2023, the IWF cleared the way for lifters from Russia and Belarus to send athletes to the Grand Prix I in Cuba where they could begin qualifying for the 2024 Olympics. Belarus took the opportunity; Russia did not.
- The IWF followed advice from the IOC in making its decision. Weightlifters can compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), not under their flag, and must wear an all-gray uniform with no logos.
- Per IOC guidance from Dec. 2023, AIN-aligned athletes must also abide by conduct restrictions, including, “any activity or communication associated with the Russian Federation, Republic of Belarus, or support for the war in Ukraine…”
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The eligibility rules also exclude anyone with links to military and state security organizations. Four weightlifters from Belarus initially qualified for the weightlifting events in Paris, but an IOC panel ruled that only two were eligible.
Russia
Russian Federation President Maxim Agapitov declared the conditions for weightlifters competing as neutrals “discriminatory”. But Russia will have athletes in other sports, including cycling, gymnastics, and wrestling, whose federations agreed to the IOC conditions.
Russia was banned outright from weightlifting at Rio 2016 because of doping. Per Reuters, their team in Tokyo wore national colors but was titled the “Russian Olympic Committee” rather than “Russia.” Neither of the two weightlifters from Russia won medals.
Belarus
“[Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko] was not happy, but he agreed to the [IOCs] conditions because he understands how hard it is for athletes when they cannot compete,” an official from the Belarus Weightlifting Federation told BarBend during the 2023 IWF Grand Prix I.
Belarus started with a team of 13 lifters at the first Prix event in 2023, of which four qualified for Paris:
- Siuzanna Valodzka (71KG): Ranked number eight globally by Total (the combined value of an athlete’s snatch and clean & jerk). Valodzka is 14 kilograms behind the would-be bronze medalist in this division if the event in Paris adheres to the qualification hierarchy.
- Petr Asayonak (89KG): Asayonak ranked 10th in the world and is eligible for Paris because the world number one, Li Dayin, was not selected by China’s Weightlifting Federation.
- Eduard Ziaziulin (+102KG): Ziaziulin is the world number six, and his Total places him 27 kilograms behind the top three podium favorites.
- Yauheni Tsikhantsou (102KG): The 2019 European Champion at 96 kilograms “bombed out” in Tokyo in 2021, failing to register a Total. “I won’t think ahead, but I’m in a great mood,” Tsikhantsou told BarBend. “No injuries and all my preparations for the Olympic Games have gone well.” He is ranked fifth at 102 kilograms.
On Jun. 15, 2023, the IOC announced that only Valodzka and Tsikhantsou were eligible to compete in Paris. Asayonak and Ziaziulin were ruled ineligible: “The review panel was in a position to benefit from new information from various sources, in particular official lists of athletes affiliated with sports clubs of the military and the security forces published on official websites in Russia and Belarus,” the IOC said.
Other Countries
Russia and Belarus are hardly the only countries to have dealt with embattled circumstances in the months leading up to the summer 2024 Games. Three other nations faced uncertainty regarding their participation in Paris:
Ukraine, Turkey, & Turkmenistan
Ukraine, Turkey, and Turkmenistan have all accumulated enough doping-related infractions to jeopardize their Olympic participation. “As a result, the matter (Ukraine) will now be submitted to IWF’s Independent Member Federation Sanctioning Panel (IMFSP) to impose appropriate consequences,” the International Testing Agency (ITA) said in a statement in May.
The panel, comprising five independent legal experts proposed by the ITA and approved by the IWF board, can impose various sanctions under the IWF Anti-Doping Rules. They range from fines to outright suspension of the federation’s athletes and officials for up to four years.
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However, the cases brought before the ITA do not rise to the level of severity such that Ukraine, Turkey, or Turkmenistan may be automatically suspended from the Paris weightlifting event. That said, these athletes remain under scrutiny:
- Ukraine: Ruslan Kozhakin, Bohdan Taranenko, Alina Marushchak
- Turkey: Batuhan Yuksel, Hakan Kurnaz, Pelinsu Bayav, Donan Dogen
- Turkmenistan: Ogulgerek Amanova, Medine Amanova, Rejepbay Rejepov
Nevertheless, all three nations have at least one weightlifter who will compete in Paris:
- Muhammed Furkan Ozbek: 73KG, TUR
- Davranbek Hasanbayev: 102KG, TKM
- Kamila Konotop: 59KG, UKR
North Korea at the 2024 Olympics
North Korea (PRK) keeps winning and setting world records — but they won’t be seen on the Olympic lifting platform in Paris. Since their return to IWF-recognized competitions at the 19th Asian Games in Sep. 2023, Team PRK has been the winningest country at four international weightlifting meets.
As of Jul. 2024, North Korea holds 16 Senior world weightlifting records, second only to Team China’s 22. Yet China has expressed admiration for Team PRK’s weightlifting roster even though the two countries won’t battle head-to-head in Paris because North Korea rejoined the international weightlifting circuit too late in the game.
Tokyo, Paris, & Los Angeles
Geopolitical events, as well as weightlifting ability, have had a significant effect on the weightlifting line-up in Paris 2024. Similarly to the last Olympics in Tokyo, ongoing complications related to performance-enhancing drug abuse may ultimately affect the final weightlifting roster.
Russia has not won an Olympia medal in weightlifting since Tatiana Kashirina bagged silver at the 2012 Games in London. Belarus won two medals at Rio in 2016 and none at the Tokyo Games in 2021. For Paris, their hopes realistically rest with Tsikhantsou in the Men’s 102-kilogram event.
And North Korea lies in wait. In less than a year, Team PRK has shown that they have medal-winning athletes in multiple weight classes along with a particular dominance over the lighter half of the women’s categories.
Weightlifting has been confirmed for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. Only time will tell if these countries can make the necessary strides to compete for gold in four years’ time.
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Disclaimer: Brian Oliver is an independent correspondent for BarBend. The views and opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily reflect his own. Oliver is not directly affiliated with any of BarBend’s existing media partnerships.
Featured Image: Jessie Johnson / @barbellstories
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