ISLAMABAD: The second Asian Masters Weightlifting and Grand Prix Championship, which was scheduled to be held in Islamabad next month, has been postponed due to the ongoing unrest in Iran.
The Pakistan Masters Weightlifting Association (PMWA) said on Wednesday that the event will now be held from April 20 to 25, 2026 in the Pakistan capital.
Quoting the International Masters Weightlifting Association, the PMWA stated that the IMWA after holding a meeting with it decided to postpone the event due to a number of reasons concerning Iran.
It is pertinent to mention here that most of Asian Masters Weightlifting Committee members are Iranians while Asian Master Weightlifting secretariat is run through Iran, where currently there is no internet connectivity.
“From the 21 nations participating in the event one fourth are from Iran. It is uncertain if any Iranian will be [able] to leave their country to travel to Pakistan for the event [originally] scheduled to be held from Feb 6 to 11, 2026.
“Fact is that other International Masters Athletes, coaches and technical officials’ flights will use Iranian air space. Recently, most of the international/Asian airlines cancelled their flights to or flying over Iranian air space,” read the IMWA letter.
The letter further said that registration will reopen to allow more athletes to participate in the event.
Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2026
