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The sport of weightlifting is as old as human life, with prehistoric tribes reckoned to test each other by lifting heavy rocks.
Weightlifting is also deeply ingrained in the Olympics, with the sport being part of the first modern Olympics held in 1896 in Athens. The sport was broadened out to include female competition at the 2000 summer Olympics in Australia.
The sport can simply be defined as barbells which are lifted competitively.
A confluence of factors have caused a surge in popularity for the sport (including “how to” Internet videos and the overall growth of 24/7 gym culture globally), to understand this phenomenon a bit better Business Of Sport spoke to Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Weightlifting (USAW).
USAW is the National Governing Body (NGB) for Olympic weightlifting in the United States and the organisation is a member of the USOPC and a member of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
In short, USAW is responsible for conducting Olympic weightlifting programmes throughout the US. Top competitors are selected by the organisation to compete in all major international events, such as the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Junior Championships and Pan American Games.
Currently there are about 27,000 active USAW members, these members include athletes, coaches, referees and volunteers. In total, there are over 1,200 weightlifting clubs in the US.
Taking over as CEO of Weightlifting USA
Phil became the CEO of USA Weightlifting in April 2016 having held the post on an interim basis since December 2015. He was promoted to the role by USA Weightlifting’s Board of Directors having previously worked as Director of Events and Programs from June 2013.
Prior to his roles with USA Weightlifting, he worked in professional ice hockey, student housing, and hosted the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) High Performance Training Center during the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.
Kicking things off, when asked why he joined the organisation, Phil was quite honest in both the motivations and challenges facing the organisation:
“I have always been attracted to jobs where there is a challenge and I feel that I can make a real difference, and USA Weightlifting needed significant cultural change and business reform, on and off of the field of play.
The anti-doping challenge was a significant one that became an even larger issue right at the start of my tenure after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped 29 weightlifting medals after 49 positive tests at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, it was clear that the sport had a major doping problem.
I’ve supported significant reform internationally in the area of anti-doping and always tried to maintain a fair level playing field for all of our athletes. I’m lucky enough to have been given responsibility for overseeing the strategy and operations of the organisation and I’m determined to show that weightlifting can be a clean sport.“
He was equally forthright in outlining how the organisation is trying to ensure sporting integrity
“USAW has been at the forefront of supporting international reform in the area of anti-doping and we will never rest until the sport is rid of cheats. We also created the first independent Ethics and Judicial process to ensure the integrity of the testing system.”
How is USA Weightlifting performing (before the COVID-19 pandemic)?
“Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, we were enjoying a highly successful period and were looking forward to our athletes putting on a show at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We had managed to treble sponsorship cash through our #TokyoStrong fundraising campaign and increased revenue by nearly $2m annually.
We had also seen some superb results on the field, with our best high performance results in 60 years occurring during my tenure. There is no doubt that COVID-19 has had a huge impact on organisations across the globe, but we hope that our work over the past 12 months has given us the opportunity to continuing moving forward.”
Andrews also outlined that he recently officially took his salary to zero to protect the organisation. It also started to offer Medical Staff & First Responders their USAW membership free. In addition it has also collaborated with Chinese Weightlifting to donate 1,000 masks to UC Health in Colorado Springs.
The growth of weightlifting
The interview turned to how the sport has really grow organically in the last number of years and some potential reasons (and benefits) of this shift.
Do you think weightlifting is seen as more “acceptable” these days with the explosion of personal fitness?
“It has been excellent seeing a transition in the fitness industry to more weightlifting, particularly amongst women. This of course is helping weightlifting the sport, as well as weightlifting the activity. There has been myths for years and years about the way that weightlifting affects the body which have been quite frankly simply incorrect and proven so by independent scientific research.
We’ve seen national and international brands now including weightlifting (the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk) in major fitness and recreation establishments and indeed online possibilities. We have to also thank CrossFit and its’ expansion around the world for being able to put a barbell in more people’s hands.”
Do you see the current situation of many people working out at home as an opportunity to gain more popularity for weightlifting?
“We’re lucky that weightlifting is a sport that can be done at home, regardless of the equipment that people own. We’ve seen people lifting kitchen items, pets, chairs, and even one woman that lifted a washing machine! With little opportunities to exercise outside of the house due to travel restrictions in several countries, this is definitely an opportunity to showcase the sport and reach new audiences.”
What role has the internet played in boosting the popularity of the sport?
“I don’t think it should be underestimated. Particularly given the difficult times that we currently live in, the internet offers us a form of escapism with the many sport and fitness challenges that have been posted on social media. We’re looking to the possibility of hosting virtual championships and competitions to keep our members engaged.”
In addition, do you see more and more women getting into the sport both as a way to stay fit, but also to get to a professional level?
“There has been a huge increase in the number of women involved in weightlifting and it’s something that we’re very proud of. We recently moved over the 50% mark for women’s athletic participation and have both genders present on each and every Governance Committee throughout our structure. We’ve done this by exposing the amazing women who are participating in our sport, front and center.”
What do you think of the postponement of the Olympics to 2021?
“I understand the need to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to guarantee the safety of the athletes, participants and communities involved and believe the right decision has been made. I am delighted that the IOC has also come out and made it clear that athletes that qualified for the Games will keep their spots. For our ranked athletes, their single biggest stress or was the fear that they may have to fight again for what they have already earned, so I’m pleased that issue has been dealt with.”
The future of the barbell and weightlifting
When asked about the future growth of the sport, Phil was quite optimistic.
“I don’t think we’ve reached a pinnacle in the popularity of the barbell yet.“
He outlined some key goals for the organisation in the near and long term.
“As we work towards the Tokyo 2020 Games, now to be held in 2021 which with the USA potentially able to have an excellent performance in Tokyo. We will need to continue to heavily market our sport after the Olympic Games in order to maintain that momentum. We also have only really just started on our fundraising journey, that’s something new that we’re just learning about over these last couple of years.
The final area is further online and educational offerings, we have really discovered those opportunities during the COVID-19 crisis and can understand how to make these a bigger part of sport.”
In part two of this interview, Phil outlines his own approach to being a CEO of a sports organization.
