By Brian OliverNorth Korea, the world's most reclusive country, wants to host an International Weightlifting

Over the past few years weightlifting has become the North Koreans' number one sport.They won three Olympic

, the world's most powerful nation in weightlifting, welcomed the move by the North Koreans.Li Hao, a

Ashley Metcalfe, the chief executive of British Weightlifting, was also enthusiastic."

It would be another exciting first for weightlifting."

Related storiesNovember 2014: North Korea overtake China at top of Weightlifting World Championships

to victory in the women's super-heavyweight category on another remarkable day at the International Weightlifting

of medals on the final day left North Korea top of the medals table for the first time not just in weightlifting

Related storiesNovember 2014: Home favourite tops spectacular men's 105kg contest at Weightlifting World

Championships in AlmatyNovember 2014: North Korea overtake China at top of Weightlifting World Championships

2014: Albanian wins first European gold medal of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014: China's

Deng takes overall title on day four of Weightlifting World Championships

By Brian Oliver at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in AlmatyWhatever other sport was going on around the world today it cannot possibly have matched this for drama, excitement and breathtaking quality.

in Almaty could recall a vegetarian ever winning a major title.Ilyin, 26, has now won International Weightlifting

at the Asian Games six weeks ago.Related storiesNovember 2014: North Korea overtake China at top of Weightlifting

World Championships medals tableNovember 2014: Former circus performer secures gold at Weightlifting

2014: China's Deng takes overall title on day four of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014

: Four world records fall on day three of Weightlifting World Championships

Sports Palace in AlmatyNorth Korea overtook China at the top of the medals table at the International Weightlifting

China was the strongest nation in weightlifting before, but not now," said Ryo"That's in the past."

and the two Kazakhs took over.Related storiesNovember 2014: Former circus performer secures gold at Weightlifting

2014: China's Deng takes overall title on day four of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014

: Four world records fall on day three of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014: North Korea

put China in their place at Weightlifting World Championships

made a sensational recovery from a poor start in an exciting women's 63 kilogram at the International Weightlifting

Rostami, was highly critical of the former national coach, Kouroush Bagheri, and said he had nearly quit weightlifting

"I nearly gave up weightlifting," he said."

World ChampionshipsNovember 2014: China's Deng takes overall title on day four of Weightlifting World

ChampionshipsNovember 2014: Four world records fall on day three of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember

2014: North Korea put China in their place at Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014: Om's a

By Brian Oliver at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in AlmatyThe 2017 International Weightlifting Federation

Asian city this century to host the World Championships.Asia has become a powerhouse in the sport of weightlifting

Related storiesNovember 2014: Albanian wins first European gold medal of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember

2014: China's Deng takes overall title on day four of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014

: Four world records fall on day three of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014: North Korea

put China in their place at Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014: Om's a Phenom for North

Sholak Sports Palace in AlmatyDaniel Godelli won Europe's first gold medals of this year's International Weightlifting

As well as being Albania's first world title in weightlifting, it was the first time an Albanian had

Related storiesNovember 2014: China's Deng takes overall title on day four of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember

2014: Four world records fall on day three of Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014: North

Korea put China in their place at Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember 2014: Om's a Phenom for North

the clean-and-jerk in the women's 58 kilogram, but won the coveted overall title at the International Weightlifting

the snatch and the clean-and-jerk in the women's 58 kilogram, but won the overall title at the World Weightlifting

Her favourite interests outside weightlifting, she said, were "food and shopping".There was a fifth medallist

Weightlifting has been popular in Colombia for years, and they improved markedly during the 1990s under

become a prominent politician.Related storiesNovember 2014: Four world records fall on day three of Weightlifting

World ChampionshipsNovember 2014: North Korea put China in their place at Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember

were sometimes too noisy - there was much to savour on a spectacular third day of the International Weightlifting

Related storiesNovember 2014: North Korea put China in their place at Weightlifting World ChampionshipsNovember

By Brian Oliver at Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in AlmatyWeightlifting is to introduce video technology after a series of controversial results in recent international competitions.

cameras will be used from next year, when the first international competition is the International Weightlifting

its annual budget on anti-doping measures.The latest judging error, in an otherwise highly successful weightlifting

- was set aside for tackling doping.Related storiesAugust 2014: Brian Oliver: Forget the scandals, weightlifting

is actually a brilliant sport that deserves more publicityJuly 2014: International Weightlifting Federation

sensationally powerful weightlifters put China in their place again on the second day of the International Weightlifting

That's nearly two per cent of Kiribati's population.Every year the Oceania Weightlifting Institute organises

They sign up youngsters who compete locally in weightlifting, which is the most popular sport around

"Without the financial support of the International Weightlifting Federation and also the Oceania National

This is a unique programme in the world of weightlifting."

David Katoatu's Glasgow 2014 gold medal has sparked a weightlifting boom in Kiribati ©Brian OliverCoffa

By Brian Oliver at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in AlmatyThe Phen-om, as he is bound to be known before long, has struck again.

In the first medal event of the 2014 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships

North Korea's Om Yun Chol celebrates his gold medal at the IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Almaty's

Vietnam's Kim Tuan Thach set a world junior record in the 56kg at the IWF World Weightlifting Championships

He truly is, as they would say, a Phenom.Related storiesSeptember 2014: Om Yun-Chol breaks weightlifting

Korean gold of Incheon 2014November 2013: North Korea blasts "depraved capitalist system" for damaging weightlifting

By Nick ButlerAn unnamed taekwondo player tested positive during the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in August, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has revealed today.

53 kilogram gold medal she initially won, also failing for diuretics.Chika Amalaha was stripped of weightlifting

By Gary AndersonThe Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) was presented with a special "Order of Honour" by the country's President Rosen Plevneliev at a ceremony in Sofia to mark its 90th anniversary.

1924.Bulgarian athletes have won 220 medals at Summer and Winter Olympic Games, with wrestling and weightlifting