Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships begin in Uzbekistan
TASHKENT: The 2026 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships began in Tashkent on Saturday, bringing together more than 300 athletes from 29 countries for the continental competition.
The event, which runs until Aug. 14, features male and female weightlifters competing across youth and junior categories as Asia looks to develop the next generation of the sport’s leading athletes.
The opening ceremony was held at Tashkent Olympic City and attended by sports officials, representatives of national and international federations and members of participating delegations.
Mohammed bin Yousef Al Mana, first vice president of the Qatar Olympic Committee and president of the Qatar, Arab, Asian and Afro-Asian Weightlifting Federations, said age-group competitions were important in providing young athletes with international experience.
He said hosting continental and global events helped strengthen the sport’s structure while giving emerging lifters opportunities to compete at a higher level and build experience needed for future international success.
On the sidelines of the championships, Al Mana chaired a meeting of the Asian Weightlifting Federation executive office at the Uzbek Ministry of Sports. The meeting, attended by Uzbek Sports Minister Adkham Ikramov and National Olympic Committee Secretary-General Oybek Kasimov, discussed the federation’s future competitions and preparations for the 2027 Asian Championships in South Korea.
The 2027 event will form part of the qualification pathway for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Ikramov also presented Al Mana with an honorary award for excellence in physical culture and sport.
