On 8-17 April 2011, Kazan hosted a major sporting event – the European Weightlifting Championships. The tournament was organised by the International and European Weightlifting Federation, Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Weightlifting Federation, and Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate.
About championships
This was the 90th tournament for men and the 24th for women. The first European Weightlifting Championships were held in 1896 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the German athlete, Hans Beck, winning the first European title. The inaugural women’s continental tournament took place 92 years later, in San Marino.
The USSR played host to the Europeans four times. The championships were held in Moscow in 1964, 1975, and 1983. In 1968, the event took place in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). Until 1997, the men’s and women’s events were held separately. The first joint men’s and women’s championships were held in 1998 in Riesa, Germany.
A total of 19 sets of medals (15 individual, 2 team and 2 sets for outstanding results and records) were up for grabs at the 2011 championships in Kazan.