16 people registered, including Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist

North Korea Weightlifting submitted a preliminary list for the 2nd International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix competition to be held in December.

Sixteen North Korean players were named on the preliminary list for the second round of the IWF Grand Prix recently released by the IWF.

Six people who won gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games - men's 81kg class Lee Cheong-song, women's 49kg class Lee Seong-geum, 55kg class Kang Hyun-kyung, 59kg class Kim Il-kyung, 64kg class Lim Eun-sim, and 71kg class Song Guk-hyang - were also included.

Among them, Song Guk-hyang, who competed in the 76kg class at the Hangzhou competition, was registered on the 71kg reserve list for the second IWF Grand Prix competition.

North Korean weightlifters, who had disappeared from international competitions since the COVID-19 incident, did not participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and were subject to disciplinary action by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which was lifted on December 31, 2022.

After the suspension was lifted, 14 athletes participated in the Asian Games held in Hangzhou in September and October this year, winning 6 gold medals, 5 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals.

If North Korea participates in the second round of the IWF Grand Prix, it will be the first time it has participated in an IWF-organized competition in four years since 2019. The Asian Games are not hosted by the IWF.

However, North Korean weightlifters did not participate in the Riyadh World Championships last September and will not be able to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Meanwhile, the second round of the IWF Grand Prix will be held in Doha, Qatar from December 4th to 14th.

From Korea, four athletes will compete: Shin Nok in the men's 61kg class, Yoo Dong-ju in the 89kg class, Jian Han in the women's 59kg class, and Minhee Moon in the 71kg class. 슬롯사이트