The United States of America Is Set to Compete at the 2024 European Championship

You read that correctly  – the United States of America will be one of the competing countries at the Europeans that are set to happen in Sofia, Bulgaria next year. Typically, the American team typically competes in the Pan American Championships based on their location; however, in 2024, they’re set to happen in Caracas, Venezuela, which caused issues for the US athletes. 

The US State Department launched a level 4 do not travel advisory for Venezuela due to the political situation in the country, which makes it unsafe for the athletes and for all other citizens overall. This led to the US Weightlifting Federation asking the IWF for permission to compete at the European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, instead of the Pan-American ones, and their desire was granted. 

In an official statement, the US Weightlifting Federation stated the following:

“USA Weightlifting is extremely thankful that IWF President Mohammed Jalood and European Weightlifting Federation President Antonio Conflitti are allowing Olympic-eligible Team USA athletes to compete in the 2024 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, instead of the Pan American Championships in Caracas, Venezuela.

We’re appreciative that all parties involved have prioritized our delegation’s safety and understand the significant logistical challenges our team faced in traveling to Caracas for the competition. We’re additionally thankful for the assurance that results earned at the European Championships will count for Olympic qualifying. “

This means not only that the team will compete but also that the results they show will be used for Olympic qualifying as everyone gears up for the games in Paris.

Having said that, the decision by the IWF is considered controversial by many, as all of the other teams that are set to compete in the Pan American Championships will be going and haven’t been provided with the option to earn results for Olympic qualifying from another competition.