Weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification


This article details the qualifying phase for weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics. The competition at these Games includes 260 athletes. Each competing nation is allowed to enter a maximum of 10 competitors, 6 men and 4 women. 2014 and 2015 World Weightlifting Championships are the main qualifying events for the 2016 Olympic games. NOCs achieve qualification places according to their position in the joint team classification by points adding those scored in the 2014 and 2015 World Championships. One continental qualification event is held for each continent in 2016. Only NOCs which have not gained quota places in the Main Qualification Events may obtain quota places.
On November 19, 2015, the International Weightlifting Federation banned Bulgaria from competing at the Rio Olympics due to doping, and took one Olympic entry place from Romania and Uzbekistan because of "multiple positive cases" of doping.
On 22 June 2016, the International Weightlifting Federation announced that a number of countries would lose quota places in weightlifting at the Games because of doping violations. IWF then went on to state that if the testing of 'B' samples confirmed any country had three or more violations in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic retesting programme, that country would be suspended from international weightlifting for one year, and would thereby be excluded from the Games in Rio, alongside the already suspended Bulgaria.
IWF clarified that after retesting of 'A' samples from 2008 and 2012 that the three countries therefore scheduled for suspension were Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. Russia is appealing this decision also to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 6 July 2016. In addition, quota places have been removed from Azerbaijan,Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, North Korea, Russia, Romania and Uzbekistan.

Summary

Timeline

;Individual ranking events
EventDateVenue
2014 Commonwealth GamesJuly 24–31, 2014 Glasgow, Great Britain
2014 IWF Grand Prix – President's CupSeptember 5–8, 2014 Noyabrsk, Russia
2014 Asian GamesSeptember 20–26, 2014 Incheon, South Korea
2015 IWF Junior World ChampionshipsJune 6–13, 2015 Wrocław, Poland
2015 Pacific GamesJuly 5–8, 2015 Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
2015 Pan American GamesJuly 11–15, 2015 Toronto, Canada
2015 African GamesSeptember 7–9, 2015 Brazzaville, Congo
2015 IWF Grand PrixSeptember 21–23, 2015 Fuzhou, China
2015 IWF Grand Prix – President's CupDecember 12–13, 2015 Grozny, Russia
2016 IWF Grand Prix – President's CupMarch 18–20, 2016 Kazan, Russia
2016 IWF Grand Prix – Fajr CupMay 31 – June 2, 2016 Tehran, Iran

Men

Note: In the 2015 Qualification ranking, the IWF deleted Bulgaria from the ranking list and recalculated all scores accordingly. If the same changes are made to the 2014 ranking, point scores were changed and ranking places were altered.

World Championships

In the 2015 Qualification ranking, the IWF eliminated Bulgaria from the ranking list and recalculated all scores accordingly, as if Bulgarian athletes had not been present at all. If the same changes are made to the 2014 ranking, point scores will change and ranking places may be altered.

World Championships

Eight places for men and seven places for women are allocated based on the Olympic Qualification Ranking Lists. Individual quota places are allocated to the athletes, ranked in the top 15 places for men and the top 10 places for women in each bodyweight category, from NOCs which have not gained any quota place through the Main or Continental Qualification Events.

Men

;Standings after Pan American Championships
No.WeightNameRecordMeetRankNote
194 kg3992014 World Championships4
256 kg2822015 World Championships5
3105 kg4052015 World Championships5
4+105 kg4382015 World Championships6
569 kg3262015 World Championships10
694 kg3552015 World Championships12
762 kg2842015 World Championships14
885 kg3552014 World Championships15

Women

;Standings after Pan American Championships
Notes:

Men

Women

Reallocation of unused quota places

On June 23, 2016, the International Weightlifting Federation announced the re-allocation of 20 unused quota places. On July 29, 2016, the IWF announced more re-allocation of unused quota places.

Men

Women