The heads of the European Weightlifting Federation are impressed by the high level of organization of the European Championship held on April 15-23 in Yerevan.
I expected a good championship, but didn’t expect it to be this good, President of the European Weightlifting Federation Antonio Confliti said, summing up the European Championships held in Armenia.
Mr. Confliti emphasized that in addition to the flawless organizational work, he was also very impressed by the audience at the Sports and Concert Complex after Karen Demirchyan.
“All the days of competition were great, but the last day was really fantastic. The spectators were very impressive, the stands were packed and the support was amazing. I had a hard time finding at least one free seat in the stands. This was an important message for weightlifting. Everything was also great in terms of organization. I am proud that together with Armenia, the European Federation showed that it can organize a better tournament than the World Championship. Some say this was the level of the Olympic Games, because it was much better,” said the President of the European Federation.
Asked whether Armenia will have the opportunity to host such a large-scale tournament again, Confliti said: “Yes, it is possible. We are working towards holding another big event in Armenia.”
The President of the European Federation admits that the tournament exceeded his expectations. “To be honest, I expected a good championship, but I didn’t expect it to be this good. When I arrived in Armenia before the championship and was shown the competition hall, the conditions, I was not very impressed and had some doubts. But the tremendous work that Armenia did during this period is really worthy of praise. Everything was great.”
David Kipshidze, Vice President of the European Weightlifting Federation, head of the marketing department of the European Federation, says the European Championships held in Yerevan were one of the best ones.
“In my opinion, this was the most luxurious and unique championship in the history of European weightlifting championships. I can confidently say that we accomplished something of a miracle here. Apart from the miracle that the athletes gave us, the work done by the organizers was also like a miracle. We enjoyed every moment. It was a great honor for me to be a participant in the organizational work. Thank you Armenia for this great event and for making us a part of it,” he said.
“I think, as of now, Armenia, Yerevan, is the best candidate to host the 2024 World Championship. I will do everything in my power to make it happen,” emphasized the Georgian specialist.
Armenia took the first place in the overall ranking of the European Weightlifting Championships. Armenian weightlifters won a total of 13 medals – 4 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze.
