Ahmedabad to Host 2029 Senior Weightlifting World Championships, Marking First for India

Gujarat’s biggest city will stage the senior global event for the first time in the country’s history, strengthening India’s position as a host for major international sporting competitions.

Ahmedabad has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2029 Senior Weightlifting World Championships, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced on Sunday following its Executive Board meeting in Ningbo, China. The decision marks the first time India will host the senior edition of the prestigious global competition.

The announcement is another significant development for Indian weightlifting and the country’s wider ambitions to stage major international sporting events. Ahmedabad, which is also scheduled to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, will welcome the world’s leading weightlifters for a championship that brings together competitors from across the international lifting community.

The IWF Executive Board awarded the hosting rights for two editions of the Senior World Championships during the meeting. Ahmedabad will stage the 2029 competition, while Moscow, the Russian capital, has been selected to host the 2030 edition. The federation also confirmed Prishtina, Kosovo, as the host city for the 2028 World Youth Championships and Caracas, Venezuela, as the venue for the IWF World Junior Championships.

Explaining the decisions, IWF General Secretary José Quiñones said the federation had received strong bids from the prospective hosts and expressed confidence in their ability to deliver successful championships.

“All the bids we received were excellent and we are sure that the Championships in your respective countries will be a huge success,” Quiñones said after the Executive Board vote. He also highlighted the significance of awarding events to countries that have not previously hosted an IWF World Championship.

“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,” he said, adding that the decisions demonstrated the sport’s international growth and the demand for hosting its competitions.

According to the IWF, awarding four championships together was a deliberate step to consolidate its international calendar for the coming years. The approach provides greater clarity on future venues and gives the federation and host countries a longer planning horizon for organising their respective events.

For India, the 2029 championship will be a milestone in its relationship with the international weightlifting circuit. While the country has experience hosting major competitions in the sport, staging the senior World Championships for the first time places it on the calendar for one of weightlifting’s principal global events.

Ahmedabad’s growing sporting profile

The choice of Ahmedabad adds to the city’s expanding role in India’s international sports ambitions. It is scheduled to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, placing it at the centre of preparations for another major multi-sport event.

India is also pursuing the opportunity to host the 2036 Olympic Games. Ahmedabad is expected to be the host city if the country secures the right to stage the Olympics, although the final decision on the host has not been made.

Hosting the 2029 Weightlifting World Championships will provide an opportunity to build organisational experience ahead of the Commonwealth Games. Delivering a global championship requires coordination across competition venues, athlete services, accommodation, transport, broadcasting and event operations.

The event will also bring international attention to Indian weightlifting, offering domestic audiences an opportunity to watch elite competitors compete on home soil.

The award follows a period of activity in Indian weightlifting, with the country having hosted the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in 2025 and the Asian Weightlifting Championships in 2026. The senior World Championships will represent a further step up in the level and international reach of the competition hosted in India.

The 2029 championship will be an opportunity for India to demonstrate its capacity to organise a major international weightlifting event while giving its athletes the experience of competing in front of home supporters at the sport’s senior global competition.

The hosting announcement does not, by itself, determine India’s future results or qualification prospects. Its immediate significance is that the country has secured a place among the nations entrusted with staging the IWF’s flagship senior championship.

With Ahmedabad preparing for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and India continuing its bid to host the 2036 Olympics, the 2029 event will form part of a broader period of international sporting activity for the country.

For the IWF, the allocation of the 2028 youth, 2029 senior and 2030 senior championships, alongside the junior event in Caracas, establishes a multi-year hosting schedule across different regions. For India, Ahmedabad’s selection delivers a historic first: the senior Weightlifting World Championships will be held in the country in 2029.