IWF WORLD MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS COMES TO SALT LAKE CITY, USA
SALT LAKE CITY – The IWF World Masters Committee has awarded the 2020 IWF World Masters Championship to Salt Lake City, USA, marking the first return to US soil for the event since 2003.
The Olympic City, which hosted the XIX Olympic Winter Games in 2002, will host the 2020 IWF World Masters Championship in the Calvin L Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City with accommodations provided adjacent to the competition venue.
"As part of our Olympic and sports legacy efforts we have partnered with USA Weightlifting and others to host several major weightlifting events in Utah," said Jeff Robbins, President and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission. "We are thrilled to have been selected to host the 2020 IWF World Masters Championships and welcome the world back to Utah once again as we host another key weightlifting event."
Salt Lake City boasts an international airport which is a hub for Delta Air Lines, serving several international destinations in both Europe and Asia, making access for competitors easy.
Known as Ski City USA, Salt Lake City is the model of Olympic legacy cities with almost every venue, including those used for this Championship still in use. In Salt Lake City itself and the surrounding region competitors can take in the Utah Olympic Park, Utah Olympic Oval and Utah Olympic Museum together with some of the World’s best Skiing.
The State of Utah has also become a home for Weightlifting in the United States. Hosting the 2014 and 2016 National Championships, the 2015 and 2017 National University Championships, the 2016 US Olympic Team Trials and has three major events upcoming, the 2018 American Masters, 2019 National Masters and 2019 American Open Finals. Outside of Weightlifting, the city will also shortly host the FIE World Junior Championships for Fencing.
The USA has also recently developed a reputation for international Weightlifting events hosting the 2009 and 2017 Pan American Championships, the 2015 and 2017 IWF World Championships and has consistently hosted the Pan American Masters Championships on a rotational basis.
The Organizing Committee will be chaired by World Masters Champion and Sandy, Utah resident Debbie Millet. The Organizing Committee locally in Utah will consist of representatives from Team Praxis Weightlifting, the Utah Sports Commission and Visit Salt Lake and will have support from around the Weightlifting community including Masters Chairman and experienced international competition manager Michael Cohen, current and former IWF Masters Board Members Corinne Grotenhuis and Les Simonton as well as USA Weightlifting and USA Masters Weightlifting leadership.
As Chairman of USA Masters, we are excited about the possibility of bringing the World Masters to the beautiful Salt Lake City area," Michael Cohen, USA Weightlifting Masters President said. "Salt Lake City has a rich history of hosting World Class Olympic events. It also offers the hundreds of Master athletes from around the world, the opportunity to enjoy world class facilities and hotels, as well as a community that is really excited about International competitions."
