Ahmedabad to Host 2029 World Weightlifting Championships for First Time in India
Ahmedabad has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2029 World Weightlifting Championships, the first time India will stage the global event. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) confirmed Gujarat as host on Sunday after its Executive Board meeting in Ningbo, China.
The board also named Moscow as host of the 2030 World Championships.
Prishtina, Kosovo, will stage the 2028 World Youth Championships, and Caracas, Venezuela, the 2028 World Junior Championships. Yerevan, Armenia, will host the 2027 World Championships.
GUJARAT’S SPORTING MOMENT
The award follows a busy period for the state. Gandhinagar hosted the Asian Weightlifting Championships earlier this year, and Ahmedabad is set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
Losing Memory
16 Oct 2026 - Vol 05 | Issue 42
The making of a medical and social emergency
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The World Weightlifting Championships were first held in 1891.
A women’s competition was introduced in 1987, and the first combined men’s and women’s edition took place in 1991.
The 2025 edition was held in Forde, Norway, and the next edition is scheduled for Ningbo, China, from October 27 to November 8.
INDIA’S MEDAL HISTORY
Indian lifters have won 18 medals at the Worlds so far: three gold, 10 silver and five bronze.
Kunjarani Devi was the first Indian to win a medal at the championships, taking silver in the women’s 44kg category in Manchester in 1989.
Lalita Polley also won bronze at that edition.
Karnam Malleswari then won back-to-back world titles in the women’s 54kg category in 1994 and 1995.
More recently, Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu won the world title in the 48kg category in 2017.
With inputs from ANI