Olympic Small Series -- Weightlifting and Wrestling (7)

Author: Artooon Publishing House, Greece
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Olympic Small Series. Lifting heavy objects to demonstrate strength is definitely one of the oldest activities of humankind. Now we know that ancient Greece and Egypt both had this activity. The greatest weightlifter in legend is Atlas, who could lift the whole world onto his shoulders! The first World Weightlifting Championships were held in London in 1891, with 7 athletes representing 6 countries. Later, the International Weightlifting Federation was established to regulate and manage weightlifting competitions. At that time, weightlifting competitions included 5 different snatch and clean-and-jerk events. In 1928, the number of lifts was reduced to 3, and by 1972, it was further reduced to 2. However, the weight classes have been increasing continuously. Now, men's weightlifting has 8 weight classes, and women's weightlifting has 7 weight classes. The first World Women's Weightlifting Championships were held in 1987.