The IWF begun the final phase of determining the 10 new men's and women's bodyweight categories early last month, following a two-day meeting of the IWF Bodyweight Categories Working Group in Budapest.

It is hoped they will provide greater athletic opportunities, improve inclusivity and enhance competition.

The Working Group is composed of members of the IWF Sport Programme Commission and two representatives from each of the three elected IWF Committees appointed by their respective chair.

This includes IWF Medical Committee members Mike Irani and Mark Lavallee.

It reviewed the wide-range of proposals which have been submitted by the IWF’s stakeholders and also conducted its own comprehensive research.

The decision to increase the bodyweight portfolio from eight men’s and women’s categories to 10 was taken by the IWF Executive Board in November 2017.

The Working Group finalised its proposal on the 10 categories in each gender, drawing on a number of different factors and using scientific and statistical evidence.

The seven men’s and women’s medal events for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be drawn from the 10 men’s and women’s bodyweight categories, once they have been agreed.

During a gathering prior to the IWF Executive Board meeting, being held today and tomorrow, the Medical Committee discussed health effects of the bodyweight category changes on athletes and highlighted the risks for athletes gaining or losing weight to comply with the new divisions. 

General information about the bodyweight categories and the methodology behind the establishment of new world records was also provided during the Joint Committee meeting.

Furthermore, the Coaching and Research Committee, chaired by Mahmoud Mahgoub, discussed the bodyweight categories and reviewed the new qualifying system for Tokyo 2020.

Kazakhstan, the nation with the worst doping record in weightlifting, angered rival nations last month by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the revised system.

While countries with a clean record can send eight athletes to Tokyo 2020, Kazakhstan can send a maximum of two - one man and one woman - because its athletes have been caught cheating so often.

No nation in the world has had more positives than Kazakhstan since 2008, the date which the IWF used as a start point in assessing its members' doping record for the purposes of awarding quota places for Tokyo 2020.

Several other countries are restricted to reduced places in Tokyo because they have accrued 20 or more positives in the past 10 years, Russia and Azerbaijan being among them.

No date has been announced for the CAS hearing, at which the IWF is confident it can successfully oppose the appeal of Kazakhstan - one of nine countries currently serving a one-year suspension imposed by the world governing body for multiple offences.

In a statement, the IWF said that the principle aim of its radical new system was "protecting clean sport" and pointed out that the qualifying process had been approved by the International Olympic Committee.

Athletes will be tested far more often than in the past, as they must compete at least six times in the 18-month qualifying period that starts on November 1.

The IWF Executive Board meeting here in Uzbekistan's capital will be followed by the IWF Congress on Friday (July 6).