Ahmedabad will host the 2029 World Weightlifting Championships after India won the bid on Sunday. India beat tough competition from Venezuela and Russia during the Executive board meeting in Ningbo, China. This major event adds to India’s growing list of big sports tournaments as the nation aims for the 2036 Olympics.
India had tough competition from Venezuela and Russia but won the 2029 bid with Russia winning the 2030 and Venezuela getting the 2028 Junior World Championships
India has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2029 Weightlifting World Championships in the latest Executive board meeting in Ningbo, China on Sunday.
This is the first time India will host the global championship of Weightlifting in the city of Ahmedabad after hosting the Commonwealth Championship and Asian Championships earlier this year.
The IWF meeting was being held on the sidelines of the IWF World Championships in Ningbo, which starts on Tuesday. It is also the first qualification tournament for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
India had tough competition from Venezuela and Russia but won the 2029 bid, with Russia winning the 2030 bid and Venezuela getting the 2028 Junior World Championships.
"All the bids we received were excellent and we are sure that the Championships in your respective countries will be a huge success. It is also worth noting that three of these four countries will be organising an IWF world event for the first time - Kosovo, Venezuela and India. This demonstrates our Sport is growing worldwide and the staging of our competitions is highly desirable for many nations around the planet," the IWF General Secretary José Quiñones said in the official press release.
With an aim to host the 2036 Olympics, the Weightlifting World Championships is another addition to the list of big ticket events India is hosting.
The event will be hosted in Ahmedabad which is the venue for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and host the Asian Championships earlier this year.
"BIG NEWS for India!
Ahmedabad will host the 2029 IWF World Weightlifting Championships!
After the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2025 and the Asian Weightlifting Championships 2026, the world's best weightlifters are now coming to Gujarat," Gujarat Sports Minister Harsh Sanghvi posted on social media platform X.
Mirabai Chanu will lead the seven member Indian team participating in the 2026 edition of World Championships starting tomorrow in Ningbo, China.