RAW Barbell Club Podcast Episode 3.5

Weightlifting is restructuring the weight classes

In the RAW Barbell Club podcast episode 3.5 this yesterday with Steve Tikkanen in response to learning that. Rather than embracing the International Weightlifting Federations (IWF) move to increase the total amount of weight classes to 8, to equal the mens. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) are instead refusing to recognize the 90kg class and will instead subtract on male weight class. I was really interested to learn about how this came to be. It really hit me by surprise seeing as though the 90kg class had been announced last year. Steve has some really cool thoughts and opinions regarding why the sport is being “punished”. He also has some idea as to what the sport can do to grow and adapt to the recent changes including short term dropping weight classes and a longer term view of how the classes should be restructured.

You should listen to this episode if you are a stakeholder in the sport of weightlifting. That means you are a coach, athlete or fan of the sport. We talk once more about why weightlifting is a sport for everyone, especially everyday CrossFitter that doesn’t fit into the ideal competitive CrossFit body shape.

We talk about what possibly led to the IOC’s decision to disregard the 90kg female weightclass, and then go one step further and take a male weight class away.

We debate what the IWF need to do in response, and whether this will be a huge wake up call to the ‘sport’ that doping will not be tolerated.

And lastly we talk about how the classes can be restructure to fit within the IOC’s guidelines!

I think this is one of the most informative podcasts we have recorded as of yet, so if you do enjoy please share it with all your friends and help me out by giving us a 5 star review on the i-Tunes or your podcast app!