Doha, Qatar: The Executive Office of the Arab Weightlifting Federation (AWF) held a meeting on the margins of the Combined Weightlifting Championships, hosted by Doha, featuring the Qatar Cup, the Arab Weightlifting Championship, and the West Asia Weightlifting Championship, amid wide Arab and Asian participation and high-level attendance from the sport's leadership.
During the meeting, AWF renewed its confidence in HE Mohammed bin Yousef Al Mana by electing him as President of AWF for a new term extending from 2025 to 2029, after he was elected unopposed in a move that demonstrates the massive confidence in the current leadership, along with the apparent gains earned both on the coaching and administrative levels throughout the previous cycle, in terms of promoting the Arab presence in international fora, elevating the game system, as well as the refereeing and coaching talents.
HE Al Mana retained his position as Pesident of the AWF, in addition to his international and regional posts, as he serves as First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), Vice President of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), President of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation (QWF), President of the Asian Weightlifting Federation, and President of the Afro‑Asian Weightlifting Council of Weightlifting, underscoring his sports influence and prominent standing in the global weightlifting landscape.
The new term witnessed the creation of the post of First Vice President of the AWF, in an organizational step aimed at strengthening governance and expanding the scope of executive work, with Mohammed Ahmed Al Harbi, President of the Saudi Weightlifting Federation, elected unopposed to assume this post, in recognition of his outstanding role in advancing the sport on the national and Gulf regional stages.
The new formation of vice presidents was also approved, including Talal Rasheed Al Jassar (Kuwait) and Dr. Abdullah Al Jarmal (Yemen) as vice presidents representing the Asian region, alongside Mohamed Abdelmaksoud (Egypt) and Kamel Saidi (Algeria) as vice presidents representing the African region.
The executive office elected unopposed also includes Mohammed Kadhem Mza'al (Iraq), Dr. Basil Al Ibrahim (Syria), Ishaq Ibrahim Ishaq (Bahrain), Abdel Ilah Laarash (Morocco), Abdulrahman Al Jatlawi (Libya), and Dr. Khaled Al Wadaia (Palestine), reflecting geographical diversity, extensive technical expertise, and broad administrative experience.
Attending the meeting were representatives from 19 countries among the executive members, alongside a record number of officials from Arab federations and heads of delegations participating in the Combined Championships, led by Mohammed Hasan Jalood Al Shammari, President of IWF, Abdel Aziz bin Mohammed Al Enazi, Secretary‑General of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, and Dr. Astrit Hasani, President of the European Weightlifting Federation (EWF).
This attendance reemphasizes the advanced status achieved by the Arab championships and the growing role of AWF within the international weightlifting framework.
HE Al Mana asserted that renewing confidence in him is a colossal responsibility prior to being an honor, stressing that the upcoming period will be marked by extensive work to meet the aspirations of the Arab federations.
This election by acclamation reflects the spirit of Arab consensus and the confidence of the member federations in the pathway of the AWF, as a robust momentum to continue the work and advance this game at all coaching and administrative levels, he underlined.
Al Mana added that the next phase will focus on expanding the participation base, qualifying coaching and refereeing cadres, and strengthening developmental programs for juniors and youth, contributing to the preparation of Arab champions capable of competing on continental and global stages.
Finally, he emphasized that Doha's hosting of the Combined Championships represents a successful model of organizational and coaching integration, noting that Qatar will continue to support Arab sport and provide optimal conditions to ensure the success of the championships.
