The announcement came during the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) ongoing congress in China.
“I find it extremely worrying,” says Helene Johage.
“The war is going on in Ukraine. It hasn’t ended,” continues Johage, who is following the congress remotely from Sweden.
Active on the battlefield
According to the AFP news agency, weightlifting is the first Olympic sport to award Russia a world championship since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“I usually quote the old Olympic slogan: ‘During the Olympics, all wars end,’ but that’s not how things work in the world anymore. Unfortunately, it’s much more serious than that. We have active-duty troops from Ukraine who are out on the battlefield, doing their part,” says Johage.
“I don’t think you can just suddenly let go of this. I’m actually a little shocked,” she continues.
This summer, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics regardless of their political stance.
The IOC recommended that all international federations ease the restrictions, but the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) and the Swedish Sports Confederation (RF) have strongly questioned the guideline.
“We follow the RF’s and SOK’s line,” says Helene Johage.
Following the IOC announcement, the IWF lifted all restrictions on weightlifters from both countries. Earlier in the year, youth and junior athletes had been allowed to compete.
Johage says Sweden was offered the chance to host the European Weightlifting Championships, but the federation declined because Russian athletes are allowed to compete.
“We cannot justify applying for visas for Russian weightlifters,” says Helene Johage.
“Get caught in a trap”
She is particularly concerned about Swedish talent Joen Vikingsson Sjöblom, who is part of the SOK’s top and talent program. One of his major goals is to reach the Olympics in the future - for example, in 2032.
“Then we will end up in a trap. This would require him to go to Moscow in 2030 and compete, while the war may still be going on. I dare not think about that situation,” says Helene Johage.
At both the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, individual athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to compete under neutral flags. No teams were allowed.
