The 2017 IWF World Championships were slated to be held in Penang, Malaysia, the site of the 2016 IWF Youth World Championships currently underway. However, Penang faced some difficulties and was forced to resign from hosting the event.
The 2017 IWF World Championships will be held from November 28 through December 5, 2017 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
USA Weightlifting CEO Phil Andrews said following the announcement, “It is an honor to welcome the 2017 IWF World Championships to the United States. “We thank the IWF Executive Board for their trust in hosting the sport’s biggest event of 2017. We look forward to working with our partners at the IWF and Visit Anaheim to hold a great event for the athletes.”
The United States hosted the 2015 IWF World Championships in Houston, Texas. The event was considered a success and was named the 2016 SportsTravel Best Amateur Single-Sport Event of the Year. Bringing the event back to the States was also likely a result of Andrews’ and USA Weightlifting’s public involvement with the IWF over the past year.
Anaheim will follow up the IWF World Championships and will host the 2017 American Open two days later from December 7-10.
The United States will also host the 2017 Pan-American Championships in Miami, Florida, in July 2017. The 2017 American Open
