For weightlifting, the future continues to brighten. On Monday, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) confirmed reports that weightlifting would be included as part of the fourth edition of the European Games in 2027.
- Remind Me: The European Games are a regional multi-sport athletic tournament which held its inaugural event in 2015; basically, a mini-Olympics for European sportsfolk of all stripes.
“We need this recognition,” said European Weightlifting Federation (EWF) president Antonio Conflitti shortly after the European Olympic Committee (EOC) met in Frankfurt, Germany, on Feb. 28.
The 2027 Games will be held in Istanbul, Turkey — a country renowned in Europe for producing excellent weightlifters but which has not hosted a continental championships in over a decade.
Here’s everything we know so far about weightlifting at the 2027 European Games, and what it means for the fans and athletes.
2027 European Games & Weightlifting
The IWF’s Mar. 3 press release indicated that both it and the EWF view weightlifting’s inclusion in the 2027 European Games as a triumph for the sport.
While the Asian and Pan-American Games already boast a prestigious reputation among international weightlifters, the European edition looks to sweeten the deal even further for Olympic hopefuls.
The Details
- The 2027 European Games will count toward qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California — a modern first for continental Games events.
- The EWF has yet to decide whether there will be a European Weightlifting Championships alongside the Games in 2027.
- 50 nations and 300 athletes are expected to participate in the European Games, including Norway, Bulgaria, and Georgia, a trio of countries whose weightlifters — Solfrid Koanda, Karlos Nasar, and Lasha Talakhadze — took gold in Paris last summer.
"The integration on the programme of the European Games demonstrates the growing respect and added-value our Sport brings to major international events,” added IWF President Mohammed Jalood.
2027 European Games: An Athlete’s Perspective
Conflitti campaigned for over three years to merit consideration for weightlifting in the European Games, believing its admittance signals rising support for the sport among Olympic power brokers.
For the athletes, weightlifting’s inclusion in the European Games is more than a bureaucratic benchmark.
“There’s so much more prestige [at Games events],” Meredith Alwine, 2021 World Champion and bronze medalist at the 2023 Pan-American Games, tells Weightlifting House.
“You get the whole [Olympic] village experience. It’s truly humbling to see thousands of athletes show patriotism for their countries and love for their respective sports.”
- By the Numbers: The third edition of the European Games, held in Poland in 2023, featured 6,857 athletes from 48 countries competing in 29 different sports. For context, the 2024 Olympics featured over 10,000 athletes, while last year’s World Weightlifting Championships, one of the larger weightlifting events in recent history, hosted 471 lifters.
What It Means for You
If you’re a fan of weightlifting, buckle up. Alwine and other weightlifters regard the continental Games as a chance to go all-out for the love of the sport: “We love battling for the medals instead of having to think about a specific qualifying total.”
Their perspective may shift a bit with the European Games counting toward Los Angeles, but for fans of weightlifting, more is more.
There are specifics still to be sorted, but you can bet on one thing — the weightlifters who take the podium at the 2027 European Games are likely to be in medal contention at the next Olympics.
