Ashley Metcalfe running for EWF President

British Weight Lifting CEO Ashley Metcalfe is running for EWF President at the December EWF elections.

Speaking ahead of the congress in Tashkent this weekend, Ashley has said:

“It is my ambition for the EWF to have a strong, respected and supportive voice in our International Weightlifting Federation, which I firmly believe should effectively govern the sport with credibility and legitimacy.

At European level, I am keen to influence and ensure a clean, transparent athlete-centred sport that is the envy of other continents. To do so it is important for European Weight Lifting to have the right voice within the IWF if Europe is to play a part in driving governance change that sets the foundation to grow and develop a very traditional Federation and secure our Olympic future.

The International Olympic Committee continues to keep a close eye our sport and it is critical we listen closely to their demands for weightlifting to change and introduce new faces to the sport’s leadership teams.

I firmly believe that now is the right time to mix a new and credible face that brings new thinking with that of more experienced and passionate weightlifting experts that have already been appointed to the Executive Board.

I believe collectively Europe can offer a strong and united voice with a strategic plan built on a track record of proven reform that has seen tangible and very positive success in GB.

I feel I now have the desire, time and energy to help move the EWF forwards and provide a greater platform for our athletes to showcase their outstanding talents to a much broader and more diverse audience. We need to provide easily accessible pathways and competition structures that allow our lifters to flourish.

Over the next 4 years, I believe there are five key areas the EWF needs to focus on:

1. A clean athlete centred sport that is well respected and sets the standards throughout the IWF, ensuring we can generate a culture we can be proud of that allows our athletes to achieve their sporting and Olympic ambitions
2. Be united as a continent to offer a strong, collective and powerful international voice – this can only be achieved by open communications and meeting, listening and understanding the needs and issues of all EWF Member Federations
3. Establish a highly respected Federation with an appropriate constitution that demonstrates best practice in Governance, transparency, safety, education and integrity and that can be trusted by all its stakeholders and the IOC in particular. To be successful the EWF needs a leader that has an openness, integrity and can be trusted.
4. Provide greater opportunities for lifters to excel in hugely exciting, engaging and modernised competition environments that attract greater media and supporter audiences.
5. Ensure greater visibility and develop the sport throughout Europe, maximising its assets through high quality marketing and communications to ensure weightlifting is more widely accessible and more commercially appealing.

Although new leadership may not be for everyone, I believe I have the vision to ensure the EWF has the tools to rebrand and refresh itself and the experience in sport and business to drive the Federation forwards in a positive manner. Critically I will do my utmost to secure our Olympic future for the next generation of clean athletes”.

Ashley's EWF leadership vision translated into French can be found here.

Ashley's EWF leadership vision translated into Russian can be found here.

Ashley's EWF leadership vision translated into Spanish can be found here.