One of the most highly-anticipated events on the weightlifting calendar is scheduled to take place this weekend (15 April), as the best weightlifters in Europe travel to Armenia to compete at the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships.

In addition to the prestige of finishing on the podium at one of the biggest weightlifting competitions on the planet, the tournament will play a key role in the Olympic qualifying process for Paris 2024; to be eligible to participate at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, athletes must participate in a minimum of three major competitions (in addition to fulfilling other prerequisites) – the European Weightlifting Championships can serve as one of those major competitions.

Here are the top things to know about the upcoming competition in Armenia.

When are the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships?

The championships are scheduled to take place in Yerevan, Armenia between 15 – 23 April 2023. This is the first time in the history of the European Championships that the competition will be held in Armenia.

What is the competition schedule for the European Weightlifting Championships?

The preliminary schedule shows athletes in the women's first three weight classes opening the championships on 15 April, with the subsequent eight competition days seeing both men and women take part.

Medals will be awarded in the following weight classes:

Women: -45kg, -49kg, -55kg, -59kg, -64kg, -71kg, -76kg, -81kg, -87kg, +87kg

Men: -55kg, -61kg, -67kg, -73kg, -81kg, -89kg, -96kg, -102kg, -109kg, +109kg

Athletes to watch

More than 350 weightlifters from 40 nations will take part in the championships this coming weekend, including several world, European and Olympic champions. Among the names to keep an eye on are:

Lasha Talakhadze (Georgia, Men's +109kg)

Two-time Olympic gold medalist (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020), six-time world champion, six-time European champion, world record holder in the snatch, clean and jerk and total in the men's +109kg category.

Emily Campbell (Great Britain, Women's +87kg)

Olympic silver medalist (Tokyo 2020), two-time European champion, two-time world championships medalist.

Antonino Pizzolato (Italy, Men's -89kg)

Olympic bronze medalist (Tokyo 2020, -81kg category), three-time European champion, world championships bronze medalist

Loredana Toma (Romania, Women's -71kg)

Four-time European champion, two-time world champion.