National training center for weightlifting in Sweden

The Swedish Weightlifting Federation, together with Eleiko and the University of Halmstad, is launching a national training centre on September 1, 2022, bringing together Sweden's best lifters and coaches in a program that will combine elite sports and university studies.

In the last four years, Sweden has won over 20 European Championship medals in senior and youth categories and a couple of World Championship medals. These are extraordinary results that Swedish weightlifting has been unable to reach since the end of the 60s.

The Swedish Weightlifting Federation is now continuing the work by launching Elite Environment Weightlifting Halmstad (ETH), a common environment for training, education and development. An international coach is being recruited to ETH to lead the initiative, and resources in nutrition, biomechanics, sports medicine, sports psychology, and leadership will also be linked to it.

"ETH wants to attract lifters who, after high school age, can imagine investing in an elite career in weightlifting while studying or working. Which is in line with the Swedish Sports Confederation's intention to support dual careers. ETH is also supposed to contribute to educating coaches, arranging seminars and training", says Joakim Eriksson, president of the Swedish Weightlifting Federation.

Eriksson says, "We are proud that, after several years of work, we have concluded an agreement that extends from now until 2024. We believe ETH can be crucial in our pursuit of European Championship medals, top 8 positions at World Championships and Olympic participation."

Maged Salama, known as the coach of the Olympic gold medallist Matthias Steiner, becomes a trainer at ETH where he will lead the day-to-day strength training for the lifters in Halmstad. At the same time, he will educate other coaches and be part of the Swedish National Team. In addition to his successful career as a lifter, Maged Salama has worked as a trainer for almost 30 years, coaching the National Teams of Austria, India, and Egypt.

"I am very excited and inspired to take on this role. I see a new generation of lifters who can reach a very high senior level. Within two years, I think we can win medals internationally with our juniors and within that period we will also have trained more Swedish coaches" says Maged Salama

"For Eleiko, ETH means an opportunity to support the development of weightlifting in Sweden," said Erik Blomberg, Eleiko's CEO. "We hope ETH will lead to better Swedish results internationally and broaden weightlifting in Sweden. Our role is to be a part financier of the project and provide training and education facilities. Not least through the Eleiko Sportcenter, which is an optimal facility for this venture."

Halmstad University, also part-funder, is a National Sports University and already has two similar elite sports environments with the Swedish Golf Federation and the Swedish Table Tennis Federation.

"We contribute knowledge about education and research but also help potential elite sports students manage their dual careers. We can give them support both in their sport and in future professions. Through ETH, we can also be involved in seeking external research funding for interesting and pressing issues that can elevate Swedish weightlifting to a national and international level," says Urban Johnson, professor at Halmstad University and project manager for the National Sports University.

Contact

Joakim Eriksson, President of the Swedish Weightlifting Federation, +46 70 317 05 56 Erik Blomberg, CEO Eleiko Group AB, +46 76 526 06 18 Urban Johnson, Professor of Psychology specialisation in sports, Halmstad University, +46 70 935 02 30

Facts of cooperation partners ETH

Eleiko Group AB
Eleiko's mission is to make people stronger, so they can perform better – in sports and in life. For over 60 years, Eleiko has been a world leader in the strength industry. Eleiko is uniquely certified by IWF, IPF and WPPO. More than 1,000 world records have been broken with Eleiko's barbell, which has participated in both the WC and the Olympics. With a focus on quality, innovation and customer service, they are the leading supplier of both equipment and training in strength, products have been delivered to over 180 countries.

Halmstad University
Halmstad University, in collaboration with Malmö University, is a National Sports University during the period 2022-2026 and works broadly to promote elite sports through education, research and support for dual careers. The research at Halmstad University is internationally known and is conducted within interdisciplinary innovation and research environments. The university takes an active part in societal development through extensive and recognised collaboration with both the private and public sectors.

Swedish Weightlifting Federation
The Swedish Weightlifting Federation, which was founded in 1922, works to develop, administer and represent Swedish weightlifting with just over 100 associations, 1,000 competitive lifters and 12,000 members. The Swedish Weightlifting Federation’s office has been located in Idrottens Hus in Stockholm since 2020, and since then a lot has developed in many areas such as organisation, training and digitalisation. In recent years, the association has, among other things, started projects with young girls and boys with good initial results.