Tashkent, August 08 (QNA) - The 2026 Asian Youth & Junior Weightlifting Championships kicked off in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Saturday.

Running until Aug.14, the event features more than 300 weightlifters of both genders hailing from 29 countries.

The opening ceremony was held at Tashkent Olympic City and attended by an elite group of officials and sports figures, alongside representatives of national and international federations and participating delegations.

This pageantry occasion demonstrated the stature of weightlifting in Asia and the increasing interest in advancing young talents.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, HE First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and President of the Qatar, Arab, Asian and Afro-Asian Weightlifting Federations, Mohammed bin Yousef Al Mana, underscored the importance of continental contests in supporting the pathway toward developing this sport.

He stated that weightlifting grants young people and emerging generations a significant opportunity to internalize expertise and get familiarized with a variety of levels, as age-group championships lay the groundwork for advancing future champions.

Staging both continental and global tournaments is a consequential element in enhancing the sport's structure, Al Mana underlined, stating that this would offer athletes the space to compete at the uppermost echelons.

Al Mana further indicated that youth and junior championships constitute an important milestone on the federation's agenda as it assembles a contingent of emerging talents in Asia.

He suggested that this offers them the opportunity to contend and acquire international expertise as part of the federation's efforts to have a rock-solid base of champions who are capable of continuing the path of Asian weightlifting in the coming years.

In a related context, Al Mana chaired the meeting of the Asian Weightlifting Federation's (AWF) executive office, convened at the Uzbek Ministry of Sports on the sidelines of this tournament, with several members of the executive office and leaders of the sports movement in Uzbekistan in attendance.

The attendees included Uzbek Minister of Sport Adkham Ikramov and Secretary-General of the Uzbek National Olympic Committee Oybek Kasimov.

  The office discussed an array of issues related to the AWF's future and the agenda of its competitions throughout the upcoming phase, alongside preparations for the 2027 Asian Weightlifting Championships, poised to be held in the Republic of Korea.

The 2027 tournament carries additional significance as it will be part of the qualification pathway for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, giving the continental championship added significance for weightlifters hoping to secure spots at the next Olympics.

On the margins of this meeting, Ikramov accorded HE Al Mana the Ministry's honorary award under the name of excellence in physical culture and sports, in recognition of his role in serving and advancing the sport of weightlifting and contributing to upgrading and expanding the sport in Asia. (QNA)