Doha: The Qatar Weightlifting Federation convened its Ordinary General Assembly meeting for the 2026 season, during which members discussed a range of key agenda items, most notably the federation's plans, activities, and international participations for the new sporting season.
According to Qatar News Agency, the meeting was chaired by HE President of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation, Mohammed bin Yousef Al Mana, and attended by the majority of members, in addition to a representative of the Qatar Olympic Committee. In his address, Al Mana underscored the federation's continued commitment to achieving its objectives, particularly in supporting the sport of weightlifting, which has witnessed significant development in recent years.
He reviewed the proposed action plan for the 2026 season, as well as the national teams' local and international engagements for both men and women. He also highlighted the strong support extended by HE President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, to the federation and to Qatar's male and female weightlifters.
Al Mana affirmed that the federation aspires to realize several ambitions in the upcoming season, including expanding activities and events to strengthen the sport's grassroots base in the country, and nurturing a new generation of talented athletes capable of joining national teams and representing Qatar at regional, international, and Olympic competitions.
The assembly approved the minutes of the previous General Assembly meeting, endorsed the financial statements for the fiscal year ending 2025, and discussed the auditor's report, the board's report on its activities for the year ending 2025, as well as the activity programs and draft action plan for the 2026 season.
For his part, Secretary-General Jassim Ibrahim Al Mansouri reviewed the federation's activities for the current season, including participation in the Asian Men's Championship scheduled to be held in India next April, the World Youth Championship in May, the 20th edition of the Asian Games, to be staged in Nagoya, Japan, from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, and the World Junior Weightlifting Championship in Colombia from July 5 to 11.
Al Mansouri added that the federation is preparing to organize the Qatar International Cup, which will serve as a qualifying event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. He also pointed to the achievements recorded last season, including participation in the Islamic Games in Saudi Arabia, as well as the 10th Qatar International Cup, the West Asia Championship, and the Arab Championship hosted in Doha.
Assistant Secretary Khalid Abdulaziz Nabina, meanwhile, praised the strong cooperation with the School Olympic Program, noting that the federation took part in the initiative for the first time last year and plans to participate for a second consecutive year. The initiative aims to identify promising talents from public and private school students and raise awareness of weightlifting among youth.
He added that the cooperation is carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Qatar Olympic Committee, in a bid to further efforts to build a new generation of talented athletes.