Sport

"I expected a good championship, but I didn't expect it to be this good," President of the European Weightlifting Federation

The heads of the European Weightlifting Federation are impressed by the high organization of the European Championship held on April 15-23 in Yerevan.

The President of the European Weightlifting Federation, Antonio Conflict, summing up the European Championship, emphasizes that in addition to the flawless organizational work, he was also very impressed by the audience gathered at the sports concert complex named after Karen Demirchyan.

“All the days of the competition were great, but the last day was fantastic. The spectators were very impressive, the stands were packed, and the support was amazing. I had difficulty finding at least one free seat in the stands. This was an important message for weightlifting. Organizationally everything was also great. I am proud that, together with Armenia, the European Federation showed that it could organize a better tournament than the World Championship. Some say this was the level of the Olympic Games because it was much better," says the president of the European Federation.

Konfliti also answers whether Armenia will have the opportunity to host such a large-scale tournament again, "Yes, it is possible. We are working towards holding another big event in Armenia."

The president of the European Federation admits that his expectations were exceeded entirely, "Honestly, I expected a good championship but didn't expect it to be this good. When I arrived in Armenia before the championship and was shown the competition hall and the conditions, I was not very impressed and had doubts. But Armenia's tremendous work during this period is worthy of praise. Everything was great."

David Khipsidze, vice-president of the European Weightlifting Federation and head of the marketing department of the European Federation, considers the European Championship held in Yerevan one of the best.

"This was the most luxurious and unique championship in the history of European weightlifting championships. I can confidently say that we accomplished something of a miracle here. Apart from the gift the athletes gave us, the work done by the organizers was also like a miracle. We enjoyed every moment. It was a great honor for me to become a participant in the organizational work. Thank you, Armenia, for this great event and for making us a part of it.

Armenia, Yerevan, is the best candidate to host the 2024 World Championship. I will do everything I can to make it happen," the Georgian specialist emphasized.

To remind you, Armenia took first place in the European Weightlifting Championship team calculation. Armenian weightlifters won 13 medals in earth wrestling: 4 gold, four silver, and five bronze.

On the last day of the competition, on April 23, 4418 spectators were present at the sports concert complex named after K. Demirchyan, a record in the history of the European weightlifting championships.

It should also be noted that at the closing of the European Weightlifting Championship, the President of the European Weightlifting Federation, Antonio Conflict, awarded certificates to the Chief of Staff of the RA Prime Minister, Arayik Harutyunyan, the Deputy Minister of the RA MESCS, Karen Giloyan, and the General Secretary of the Armenian Weightlifting Federation, Pashik Alaverdyan, for organizing the tournament in the best way.