Tashkent: The 2026 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships kicked off in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Saturday. Running until August 14, the event features more than 300 weightlifters of both genders from 29 countries. The opening ceremony was held at Tashkent Olympic City and was attended by an elite group of officials and sports figures, alongside representatives of national and international federations and participating delegations.
According to Qatar News Agency, the event demonstrated the stature of weightlifting in Asia and the increasing interest in advancing young talents. During the inauguration ceremony, HE First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and President of the Qatar, Arab, Asian, and Afro-Asian Weightlifting Federations, Mohammed bin Yousef Al Mana, emphasized the importance of continental contests in supporting the pathway toward developing this sport. He stated that weightlifting provides young people and emerging generations a significant opportunity to acquire expertise and familiarize themselves with different levels, as age-group championships lay the groundwork for advancing future champions.
Al Mana highlighted that staging both continental and global tournaments is a crucial element in enhancing the sport's structure, offering athletes the space to compete at the highest levels. He further indicated that youth and junior championships are an important milestone on the federation's agenda, assembling a contingent of emerging talents in Asia. This provides them the opportunity to compete and gain international expertise as part of the federation's efforts to establish a solid base of champions capable of continuing the path of Asian weightlifting in the coming years.
In a related context, Al Mana chaired the meeting of the Asian Weightlifting Federation's (AWF) executive office, convened at the Uzbek Ministry of Sports on the sidelines of this tournament, with several members of the executive office and leaders of the sports movement in Uzbekistan in attendance. The attendees included Uzbek Minister of Sport Adkham Ikramov and Secretary-General of the Uzbek National Olympic Committee Oybek Kasimov.
The office discussed issues related to the AWF's future and the agenda of its competitions in the upcoming phase, alongside preparations for the 2027 Asian Weightlifting Championships, set to be held in the Republic of Korea. The 2027 tournament carries additional significance as it will be part of the qualification pathway for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, giving the continental championship added importance for weightlifters hoping to secure spots at the next Olympics.
On the margins of this meeting, Ikramov accorded HE Al Mana the Ministry's honorary award for excellence in physical culture and sports, recognizing his role in serving and advancing the sport of weightlifting and contributing to its upgrade and expansion in Asia.