Between the fight against doping and Olympic dreams, the Italian Weightlifting Federation is sharpening its weapons. And it is preparing for a great 2024. “It was an exceptional 2023, thanks also to the construction work that lasted almost eight years. Today we are reaping the fruits.” Antonio Urso, president of Fipe, looks forward to the recently concluded 2023 season with satisfaction. Among the upcoming projects is the ‘Sthenathlon Young’ which introduces boys and girls to strength training. “It has given important results, given that we have intercepted over 4,000 children throughout Italy. And this is also a source for selecting talent”, adds Urso. And on the fight against doping “there is still a lot to do, but the road is the right one. With the international federation we decided to entrust the checks to a third agency and this was the key, because from Tokyo to today in the most important events we have not recorded any positive cases”. The work of the technicians was also promoted federal officials: “The athletes are extraordinary, but if an Oscar is to be awarded then it must go to the technical management who managed to do a job never done in history on each of the kids involved in the Olympic qualification. Even from a scientific point of view, we have grown a lot “. Paris 2024? “From the Olympics we expect to collect something as we did in Tokyo. There is the possibility of bringing the full team, therefore three men and three women. The men are in the ranking positions in which they should be to obtain qualification, the girls came very close in the last World Cup and we are confident that in the next European Championship they too can aspire to an Olympic place”.
Women and men, the differences only in the categories