Report from the World Games in Akita, Japan. By Arnulf Wahlstrom

WG organisation.

The Akita organising committee did an outstanding job by organising the 6^th World Games in a manner that creates great respect and honour. This was a big event including 31 different sports and athletes, leaders and supporters from 90 countries took part. One can imagine the great amount of work from a huge number of people to make the planning and to run all these competitions besides taking care of all the transports, accommodations, announcements, banquets etc. World Games posters, flags, banners etc. decorated buildings, flag poles, buses etc. all over the city of Akita. A 6 floor building was dedicated as WG information centre and offices for the organising committee and sport venues were spread around the city. Many thousand of volunteers from all over Japan did take part in Akita and also in Tokyo and other cities to help with the travelling, accommodation and other practical arrangement for the visitors.

I am sure all participants in all sports are very impressed and thankful for the good service and the great focus put on their sport during the WG. National TV and newspapers were filled with WG reports and in powerlifting the press conferences were large and took times. The sportsmen (and women) from non Olympic sports did during this WG achieve the honour and recognition they deserve.

The powerlifting competition.

72 lifters were scheduled to take part in the WG – 36 of each sex. Each IPF Region had a maximum number of lifters that were allowed to take part so only the very best lifters from each region could qualify for this WG and that included lifters from 17 different nations.

The powerlifting event was organised at the same place as the Worlds last year and the organisation was headed by Susumo and Hisako Yoshida and the meet director Kazu Ito. Again this was a perfect organised championships with no shortcomings. IPF had granted Japan two new Eleiko bars for this championships as the Nippyo bar used at the Worlds did have too narrow knurling distances which caused the knurling to hook up into the skin of the tights during dead lifts. Replacing the Nippyo bars completed the good technical standard of all equipment at this championships.

The organiser provided a good overhead score board which calculated the points and the placing for each single lift made. The WG competition was run according to the Wilks points dividing the lifters into 3 kilo categories of each sex. This, in connection with the good speaking service from Susumo Yoshida, made the competition to a spectacular performance for a nearly fully crowded hall.

Two television cameras were active and a large number of press people surrounded the venue and the top lifters. At this championships the lifters were really in focus getting the PR attention they deserve making them feel they practise a sport in line with Olympic recognised sports.

The lifters had prepared well for this important event breaking a number of world records and they took the opportunity to really show the audience, the many IOC and IWGA observers and TV watching people in Japan and hopefully around the World what amazing and spectacular sport powerlifting really is.

Good IPF dialogue with IOC , IWGA and WADA.

As this WG was under the umbrella of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) by a mutual agreement with the IWGA (International World Games Association), observers from IOC, IWGA and WADA (World Anti Doping Association) were visiting the powerlifting competition.

Norbert Wallauch and the other EC members present had the opportunity to talk with these important people to present our sport and our policy. Personal acquaintance and a good dialogue with central people in these main organisations were a great step forward for IPF to gain more influence towards full recognition as an Olympic sport.

IPF had useful talks with the IWGA president Mr. Ron Frölich about increasing the number of powerlifters taking part in the next WG. Mr. Frölich is also the President of the International Recognised Sport Federation. Her only Olympic federations are members and Frölich did welcome an application from IPF for membership.

The president of the International Weightlifting Federation Mr. Tamas Ajan, which also is an IOC member, showed great interest in our sport and expressed that he supported our application for IOC membership. Further the director of the IOC office, Mr. Gilbert Felli, visited our competition twice and expressed his support to deal with a renewed application from the IPF for being fully recognised as an Olympic sport. Heiner Köberich sent the first application for IOC membership in April 2000.

WADA, the World Anti Doping Agency, instituted by IOC – had observers present. Mr. John Mendoza from Australia told that WADA was very impressed by our antidoping policy and offered IPF to be one of the very first international federations to sign a contract with WADA for co-operation. Up till now no contracts have been signed with any federation because WADA has not finished their internal organisation. IPF got promises that a contract with WADA will be sign within few months and prior to the Worlds in Finland. WADA will in the future carry out OCT (out of competition) and in competition tests for IPF.

Leaders from other sport federations and representatives for the Akita organising committee did also visit our competition and stated that they were impressed by the way our competition was organised.

Finally we were pleased to have a good dialog with another IOC member and 2 times world champion in judo, Mr. Anton Geesenk. Also he stated his support to IPF’s application for IOC membership.

In short, the WG in Akita was a great step forward for IPF both with respect to put highlight on the powerlifting sport but even more useful for the possibility to meet important leaders in many organisations. The IPF Executive members feel that this years WG brought the powerlifting sport a great step closer to full IOC recognition.

President Wallauch tells that he has appointed meetings in the near future with some of the above mentioned leaders to continue the good dialog he had in Akita and the good relations pr

This 6^th WG leaves us with good memories from the Japanese people being so kind, so helpful and so efficient. Their hospitality was great and their organising ability splendid.

Well done and thank you!