Opposition blocks AWF's push for governance changes

The organisation's Ordinary Congress was held during the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Gandhinagar, chaired by President Mohammed Yousef Al Mana and Secretary General Mohammed Al Harbi, with VP and IWF leader Mohammed Jalood also attending.

One of the key items on the Asian Weightlifting Federation's agenda in India was the adoption of the new Constitution, as the previous one expired in 2024. The proposed draft constitution included several controversial articles, such as the removal of age limits for the president, general secretary and executive board members, and provisions for financial transparency and compliance with International Weightlifting Federation laws. Some members suggested postponing the adoption of the Constitution and first seeking the IWF's approval of the proposed amendments.

According to the AWF's report, the proposed amendments were first discussed at an Executive Board meeting earlier that day.

However, the constitution was not adopted during the congress. According to several Congress delegates, the AWF leadership had been pushing for its adoption until the last moment, trying to force a vote. However, they faced solid opposition from across Asia, as this would violate IWF and AWF rules. It was finally decided that it should first be submitted to the IWF for approval before being put to a vote at a future Congress.

AWF's report initially announced that "all the proposed amendments submitted by the participating Member Federations were unanimously approved, receiving 100% support from the Congress delegates."

However, the opposition forced them to correct the article which now states the initial agreement, "Following the presentation by the Constitutional Working Group, and in accordance with the applicable IWF By-Laws, the Congress delegates unanimously decided that the proposed amendments of the AWF Constitution shall be submitted to the IWF Legal Department for approval in advance, before the AWF Congress approves the amendments either in Tashkent, Uzbekistan or in any other upcoming Congress."

In response to Inside the Games' formal request, the International Weightlifting Federation stated that its legal department had not yet received the Asian Weightlifting Federation's draft constitution.

"Once and when this is done, the IWF Legal department will carefully review it to ensure it is aligned with the IWF Constitution and IWF Policies. During the entire procedure, the IWF will make no further comment on this topic," IWF stated.

While the constitutional overhaul remains frozen, the Congress proceeded with other important topics regarding Asian Weightlifting. President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation Sahdev Yadav was elected as the President of the South Asian Weightlifting Federation, alongside Ram Krishna Shrestha of Nepal as General Secretary.

The Maldives Weightlifting Federation has officially proposed to organise the first South Asian Weightlifting Championships.

Representatives from Qatar and Singapore gave official presentations to the Executive Board about their bids to host the Electoral Congress. Following these, the Executive Board decided to award Qatar the hosting rights, with Singapore confirmed as the reserve host "in the event of unforeseen circumstances or emergency situations affecting the organisation of the Congress".