6 months ago
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Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu's value people has been dropped from the 2028 Olympics and she is acceptable to bulk up to the 53kg class for the 2028 Games.
Chanu had won the metallic medal astatine the Tokyo Olympics successful the 49kg. However, the lowest class for women astatine the 2028 LA Games is present 53kg pursuing the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) determination to summation the full fig of weightlifting events to 12.
Chief nationalist manager Vijay Sharma feels that bulking up to 53kg volition enactment successful Chanu's favour but said the Manipuri weightlifter volition proceed successful her aged value people till the Asian Games adjacent year.
"This (removal of 49kg) is simply a bully happening for Mirabai due to the fact that cutting down her value to 48kg was a taxing process," Sharma told PTI.
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), successful a connection precocious connected Monday, said, "Following the encouraging determination taken by the IOC to enlarge the weightlifting programme astatine the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 – wherever 12 events (six men, six women) volition beryllium contested." This is the 2nd clip the IWF has changed the categories successful little than a year.
Chanu had earlier this twelvemonth shifted to the 48kg class aft the IWF dropped the 49kg part signifier the Olympics. Though the 49kg people has present been reinstated for IWF events specified arsenic the World Championships, it volition not diagnostic successful the Olympics.
Chanu had won the golden astatine the Commonwealth Championships and a metallic medal astatine the World Championships successful the 48kg this year.
The 31-year-old volition proceed to vie successful the 48kg/49kg class until adjacent year's Asian Games. After that, she volition person 2 years to gradually determination up to the 53kg part to hole for the Olympics.
Chanu has respective times spoken astir the carnal strain of maintaining a 48kg assemblage weight. In a higher value class, she volition beryllium capable to adhd much musculus mass.
"Right now, she volition proceed successful the aforesaid value people till the Asian Games, aft that we volition statesman the process of changing the value to 53kg," Sharma added.
The women's Olympic categories present see -- 53kg, 61kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, +86kg -- portion the men volition vie successful the 65kg, 75kg, 85kg, 95kg, 110kg, +110kg value classes.
The Olympic categories are portion of a somewhat adjusted, caller acceptable of 16 IWF bodyweight categories. The caller categories volition travel into effect from August 1, 2026.
"The caller categories were projected by the IWF Technical Committee, and were provisionally approved by the IWF Executive Board successful its past gathering successful Forde (NOR), with the juncture of the 2025 IWF World Championships. They became authoritative aft the ratification by the IWF Athletes Commission," the IWF said.
In the 2024 Paris Olympics, the women's value categories were 49kg, 59kg, 71kg, 81kg and +81kg, portion the men had competed successful 61kg, 73kg, 89kg, 102kg and +102kg value classes.
