New Delhi: The West Asia conflict seems to have engulfed the entire world with major sporting events being cancelled or postponed. After a few events in different disciplines sports were cancelled or pushed, the Asian Weightlifting Championships is the latest to join the list.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed that the weightlifting championship scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad in April has been postponed to May due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. The continental event was originally slated for April 1 to 10 but it has been pushed back by over a month and will now be held from May 12 to May 17.
AWF confirms the development
The Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF) confirmed the development to news agency PTI on March 11, saying that the rescheduling was done to ensure the safety and smooth participation of all the delegations, especially the athletes.
‘Due to the current situation affecting the Middle East and the Gulf region, the 2026 AWF Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships have been rescheduled,’ the AWF said in a statement.
‘In order to ensure the safe and smooth participation of all delegations, the competition will now take place from 12 to 17 May 2026,’ the statement added.
The ongoing Middle East conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, 12 days back, has led to the closure of airspace across parts of the Gulf region.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championships were held in Jiangshan, China in the month of May. Unusually, India sent a limited squad with Seram Nirupama Devi (4th in women’s 64kg) and Dilbag Singh (9th in men’s 96kg) competing at the continental event. Top Indian athletes like Mirabai Chanu skipped this event, so as to adjust to new weight classes.