11 candidates in weightlifting election amid Olympic crisis

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Two American women are among a total of 11 candidates running for president of weightlifting’s troubled governing body, looking to lead it out of crisis. The sport risks being dropped from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics because of IOC skepticism about the International Weightlifting Federation’s integrity and doping issues. IOC president Thomas Bach has called the IWF one of the Olympics’ problem children. Weightlifting’s quote of medal events and athletes were cut for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The IWF elections are at a June 25-26 meeting in Albania. The 11 candidates include Americans Ursula Papandrea and Paula Aranda.