Vietnamese weightlifters seek 2016 Olympics berths at World Championships

October 18, 2014 | 08:58

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Vietnam will send its men’s team of five weightlifters to compete in the 2014 IWF World Championships, scheduled to take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan from November 4-16, aiming to seek early berths in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Defending Asiad 56kg runner-up, Thach Kim Tuan

The team includes Asiad runner-up, Thach Kim Tuan and 2012 Olympic fourth-place finisher, Tran Le Quoc Toan (56kg); and three 27th SEA Games runners-up, Nguyen Hong Ngoc (77kg), Hoang Tan Tai (85kg) and Tran Van Hoa (94kg).

According to IWF regulations, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) could earn quota places according to their position in the combined Team Classification by points, adding those scored in the 2014 and 2015 IWF World Championships.

Specifically, six quota places are allocated to each NOC of top six ranking, five for each in 7th-12th ranking, four for each in 13th-18th ranking and three for each in 19th-24th ranking. This is considered the most positive opportunity for Vietnamese weightlifters to book slots in Rio.

In case of failing this time, they will also be able to earn 2016 Olympic tickets through the Continental Qualification Event in 2016, but it promises to be much tougher as only seven places are up for grabs, with each of the top seven NOCs regarding the Team Classification securing just one.

Nhan Dan

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