Sofia is set to host the European Weightlifting Championships for the sixth time in 2022 ©Getty Images

The Bulgarian capital of Sofia is set to host the 2022 European Weightlifting Championships, it was announced at the European Weightlifting Federation Congress.

The EWF Congress was held in Rovaniemi in Finland, at which the decision was announced.

"The European Championship 2022 will be held in April in Sofia," EWF Acting President Maxim Agapitov said, as reported by Russian news agency Tass.

"The exact dates of the competition will be determined later."

Sofia last hosted the Championships in 2005.

Bulgaria finished second in the 2021 European Weightlifting Championships in Moscow, but failed to win a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Bulgaria finished second in the 2021 European Weightlifting Championships in Moscow, but failed to win a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

It has hosted the European Championships five times and the World Championships once, in 1986.

The 2021 European Weightlifting Championships were held in Moscow, with Ukraine topping the medal table on 10 golds.

The new hosts, Bulgaria, finished second in the medal with eight gold medals, though it failed to win an Olympic medal at Tokyo 2020.

Bulgarian winners included Nadezhda Nguen in the women's under-45 kilograms snatch, Ivana Petrova in the under-45kg clean and jerk and Angel Rusev in the men's 55kg clean and jerk.