Tbilisi to host international sports awards thanks to Georgian weightlifter

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) will award weightlifters of 2017 in Tbilisi on May 8, which will be the first international sport award ceremony in Georgia. 

The decision to hold the event in Tbilisi is much to the merit of Georgia’s weightlifting world champion and record-breaking athlete, Lasha Talakhadze, who broke three world records in competition last year and became the weightlifter of 2017 after an IWF poll. 

Talakhadze was crowned world champion in December 2017 at the World Weightlifting Championships tournament, rounding off a successful year.

We are proud of Lasha Talakhadze, the Olympic, world and European champion. His sporting achievements are really unique. Holding the awarding ceremony in Tbilisi is another big achievement for the athlete and Georgia,” Minister of Culture Mikheil Giorgadze stated.

The Head of Georgia’s Weightlifting Federation Kakhi Kakhiashvili stated that the IWF’s decision over the event was the expression of "huge respect” to Georgia, Talakhadze and the country’s Weightlifting Federation.

At the 2016 Olympics, Talakhadze completed a snatch of 215 kg (breaking the world record of 214 kg set by Iranian weightlifter Behdad Salimi (who then took the record back with 216 kg) and then completed a clean and jerk of 258 kg to set a new world record of 473 kg and win a gold medal.