100 days of reform: Ursula Papandrea's plan to secure weightlifting's long-term Olympic future

Weightlifting has proudly held its place in the Summer Olympic Games for over a century but it now faces the biggest threat to that status in living memory.

We are at a crossroad and our beloved sport has never been at greater risk of losing its Olympic status. Decades of mismanagement and corruption have left weightlifting at a critical moment and this will be THE vital election to decide our future.

I have personally been dedicated to the sport for more than 30 years as an athlete, coach, and administrator. I have seen first-hand how it encapsulates the Olympic Values of Excellence, Respect, and Friendship.

I am ready to build new foundations to establish a governing body which the entire weightlifting community can support and be proud of.

That is why I am running to become the President of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) – to enable our organization to work with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and secure weightlifting’s long-term future.

For years, the IWF has been plagued by a lack of transparency and accountability, something I will address by introducing my ‘100 Days of Reform’ plan.

Upon election, I would immediately travel to Switzerland – Covid-19 permitting – to meet with the IOC. I want to ensure there is an agreed roadmap to guarantee the retention of weightlifting for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as well as its return as a core sport. I will publish a comprehensive reform plan, including but not limited to operations, finance, commercial, and governance.

I am committed to restoring the mutual trust and respect of both the IOC and International Testing Agency (ITA). With input from the independent Anti-Doping Commission, I will review and re-instate Article 12 of the IWF Anti-Doping regulations, as proposed by ITA, to ensure that we have the strongest deterrent and punishment for offenders.

The IWF's reputation has been badly tarnished by the past and would benefit from a total re-branding to signify a new era. As part of this, I propose changing from the IWF to ‘World Weightlifting’ to signify this new chapter for our sport.

Under my leadership, I can guarantee that all members will have a voice. I will actively engage in a campaign of engaging and listening to ensure that I am truly representing the needs of all stakeholders, from athletes to coaches and officials to administrators.

I will also launch an independent integrity unit to receive and deal with reports of issues in the sport. When referring to ‘independents’, we must procedurally guarantee that those selected will be truly independent from Board influence.

Within the first 100 days of being appointed as President of the Federation, I will complete the move to our headquarters to Lausanne, Switzerland, and hire a permanent CEO to professionalise and update operations.

Further to operations and governance, I will introduce fair and transparent processes for allocation of contracts including event allocation. My commitment is to ensure good policy and procedure, which has long been neglected.

Costs have been increasing while revenue has stagnated and previous regimes have relied unreasonably on the IOC for financial support. I will immediately start work to expand our sponsorship base by appointing a professional sponsorship agency focused on key markets for our sport, primarily in Asia, to enable us to attract diverse, high-profile partners who support a clean sport message for our newly branded organization.

Additionally, I will review the IWF events model to provide spectator-friendly events made for TV and attractive to sponsors. It is clear that our current competition format can be improved to create a more exciting experience and I look forward to introducing options to a newly elected board.

It is time we serve our members and athletes. Together with Member Federations, I will review the existing development program to ensure we are investing in the sport where it is most needed. Recognizing vast differences in needs and situation, I will begin the process to create individual continental development strategies.

The Athletes' Commission is just the first step to including our athletes. I will ensure that every commission and committee has an athlete representative. I will request the convening of national athlete delegates worldwide to listen to their concerns and solicit their input. I will additionally propose a new program format to provide athletes with rewarding opportunities.

In order to address the rising costs of anti-doping, I will introduce a proven effective Foundation for the Federation model with the aim of attracting philanthropic giving that will help support anti-doping efforts and under-supported athletes.

I will introduce an educational program to develop our marketable services for both revenue and to build and protect our sport worldwide.

We need to undertake a full review of all standing documents of the Federation so I would also prioritise working with appropriate external and truly independent experts to ensure that we are best in class.

As with all aspects of governance, progress will be reported to all stakeholders every 30 days; accountability and transparency will be at the core of everything that we do.

My message to members is clear: select me as your President of the IWF and we will work together to inspire pride for all who are associated with our great sport.

In short, I will give you the sport we all deserve.

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