Six cities have submitted bids to host the 2018 IWF World Weightlifting Championships ©IWF

Six cities have submitted a bid to host the 2018 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships, the sport’s governing body has announced.

Japanese capital Tokyo, the host city for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, Turkish city Antalya and Peruvian capital Lima have all declared their intention to bid for the event.

They will go up against Georgian capital Tbilisi, Tirana in Albania and Phuket, Thailand, for the right to stage weightlifting’s annual flagship competition.

The IWF sent out a letter to all of its Member Federations in August inviting them to a make an application for the event in three years' time.

Those who are keen to stage the competition in 2018 can still submit their intention to enter the race by October 17, before Member Federations present their bid in front of the IWF Executive Board on November 17 and 18.

A host will then be chosen at the meeting in Houston, Texas, which takes place ahead of the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships, which run from November 20 to 28.

Each city has pedigree in hosting weightlifting events as Antalya staged the 2010 World Championships as well as the 2012 European Championships, while Tbilisi played host to the 2015 European Championships.

2020 Olympics and Paralympics host city Tokyo has submitted a bid to stage the 2018 IWF World Weightlifting Championships
2020 Olympics and Paralympics host city Tokyo has submitted a bid to stage the 2018 IWF World Weightlifting Championships ©Getty Images

2019 Pan American Games host city Lima organised both the 2013 IWF Junior and 2015 Youth World Championships and Phuket staged the 2015 Asian Championships.

Tirana has also welcomed Europe’s top weightlifters, with the 2013 European Championships taking place in the Albanian capital, and Tokyo will host the 2016 Asian Youth and Junior Championships and the 2017 IWF Junior World Championships.

The 2015 event in Houston marks the first time the competition has come to America for 40 years, with an estimated 900 competitors from more than 188 affiliated National Federations from all five Olympic continents expected to descend on the Texan city.

There will be no World Championships in 2016 as the event is not staged during an Olympic year.

The 2017 World Championships are due to be held in Penang, Malaysia after the city beat off competition from the likes of Belarus, Turkey and Uzbekistan.



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