Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting, is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete vying to successfully lift the heaviest weights. Athletes compete in two specific ways of lifting the barbell overhead: these are the snatch and the clean and jerk. The snatch is a wide-grip lift, in which the weighted barbell is lifted overhead in one motion. The clean and jerk is a combination lift, in which the weight is first taken from the ground to the front of the shoulders, and then from the shoulders to overhead. The clean and press, wherein a clean was followed by an overhead press, was formerly also a competition lift, but was discontinued due to difficulties in judging proper form.
Lucy Ogechukwu Ejike is a Nigerian Paralympic powerlifter. She has represented her country at six consecutive Paralympic Games from 2000 in Sydney through to 2021 in Tokyo. She has won medals at each, three gold, two silver and one bronze. She won a further silver medal at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth games women's lightweight category of the Para Powerlifting event behind compatriot Esther Oyema.
The Philippines competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. The country was represented by two athletes: Andres Lubin in the men's javelin, and Adeline Dumapong in women's powerlifting, in the up to 82.5 kg category.
Mali made its Paralympic Games début at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. The country sent only one athlete, who competed in powerlifting. He did not win a medal. One of nineteen powerlifters in the men's up to 75 kg category, he lifted 130 kg, placing him last of the seventeen athletes who successfully lifted a weight.
El Salvador first competed in the Paralympic Games at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. It has participated in the Summer Paralympic Games every four years since that time. El Salvador has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics, and until Tokyo 2020, no Salvadorian had won a Paralympic medal. In 2021, Herbert Aceituno became the first athlete to win a medal, earning bronze in powerlifting at the 59 kg category.
Indonesia made its Paralympic Games debut at the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto, with competitors in athletics, lawn bowls, swimming and table tennis. The country has participated in every subsequent edition of the Summer Paralympics, except 1992, but has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics.
Tajikistan made its Paralympic Games début at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, with a single representative in powerlifting. Competing in the men's up to 60 kg category, Odinaev lifted 147.5 kg, finishing 9th out of 16. In 2008, Tajikistan was again represented by a single powerlifter, this time a woman: Zaytuna Roziqova, in the up to 48 kg category. She failed to correctly lift any weight and record a mark.
In 2000, East Timor was administered by the United Nations, and did not have a recognised National Paralympic Committee. Two East Timor athletes to take part in the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, but they competed officially as Individual Paralympic Athletes, rather than as representatives of an NPC.
Uzbekistan made its Paralympic Games début at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, with a single representative in powerlifting. Competing in the men's up to 75 kg category, Kadyrov failed to lift a weight. In the 2008 Summer Paralympics, Uzbekistan sent two competitors: a powerlifter and a swimmer, they failed to win any medals again.
Ukraine made its Paralympic Games début at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, with thirty athletes competing in archery, track and field, powerlifting, swimming, and sitting volleyball. Vasyl Lishchynskyy won Ukraine's first Paralympic gold medal, in the shot put, and Ukrainians also won four silver medals and two bronze. Ukrainians had previously participated within the Soviet Union's delegation in 1988, and as part of the Unified Team in 1992. Ukraine, following its independence from the Soviet Union, missed out on the 1994 Winter Games, but made its Winter Paralympics début at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano. Ukraine has competed at every edition of the Summer and Winter Games since then and have done so with remarkable success.
Algeria competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. It was the country's third participation in the Summer Paralympic Games. Its delegation consisted in six track and field athletes and two competitors in powerlifting. Sprinter Mohamed Allek, who has cerebral palsy, won all of Algeria's medals at these Games - three gold.
The Central African Republic made its Paralympic Games debut by sending a delegation to compete at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece, having made its Olympic debut in 1968. The delegation consisted in a single athlete, Thibaut Bomaya, who competed in the powerlifting. He did not win a medal, finishing in 11th place in the single round for the men's 56kg.
East Timor competed in the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea, from September 29 to October 14, 2002. East Timor was the newest Asian country—it declared its independence four months before the Games on May 20, 2002—and participated in the Asian Games for the first time after the independence from Indonesia. Indonesia invaded the nation on December 7, 1975, and left in October 19, 1999 after the UN-supervised referendum.
Togo competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country's participation in Rio marked its debut appearance in the quadrennial event, although it had competed in the Summer Olympics nine times since the 1972 Games. The delegation consisted of a single lightweight powerlifter, Aliou Bawa, who qualified by being issued with a Bipartite Commission Invitation spot by the International Paralympic Committee. Bawa was the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Bawa failed to record a mark in the men's 49 kg category after being unable to lift 113 kilograms of weight in his three attempts.
Nicaragua sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. This was the Central American country's third appearance at the Summer Paralympic Games, having made its debut twelve years earlier at the 2004 Summer Paralympics. They were represented by three athletes, sprinter Jennifer Osejo, middle-distance runner and sprinter Gabriel Cuadra Holmann and powerlifter Fernando Acevedo, who all qualified for the games by achieving the minimum qualifying standard in international competition. Neither Holmann or Osejo claimed a medal in their respective events and Acevado finished fifth in the men's −72kg powerlifting class.
Honduras sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. This was the nation's sixth appearance at a Summer Paralympiad after it debuted at the 1996 Summer Paralympics. The Honduran delegation to Rio de Janeiro consisted of two athletes: powerlifter Gabriel Zelaya Díaz and short-distance swimmer Emmanuel Díaz. Both competitors were not ranked in their respective competitions after Gabriel Zelaya Díaz was unable to lift any weights in his three tries and Emmanuel Díaz was two minutes late arriving to his event.
El Salvador sent a delegation to compete in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the country's fifth successive appearance in the Summer Paralympics since debuting at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. The Salvadoran delegation to Rio consisted of one athlete, powerlifter Herbert Aceituno, who qualified for the Games through his world ranking of 13th and his participation was confirmed by the International Paralympic Committee in August 2016. He failed to lift 185 kilograms (408 lb) in three attempts during the men's 72 kg tournament and was therefore not ranked in the final standings by the judges.
Moldova sent a delegation to participate at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the Eastern European's country sixth appearance in the Summer Paralympic Games since their debut twenty years prior at the 1996 Summer Paralympics. Moldova sent three athletes to these Games, shot put thrower Oxana Spataur, powerlifter Larisa Marinenkova and short-distance swimmer Alexandr Covaliov. Spataur qualified on merit and Covaliov and Marienkova were invited by the Bipartite Commission. Neither Spataur or Covaliov advanced out of the heats of their events and Marienkova finished seventh in the women's 73kg powerlifting category.
Fatma Omar is an Egyptian powerlifter competing in the -56 kg category. She is a dominant power in her sport, winning gold in her event in four Summer Paralympics, and another four gold medals at the IPC Powerlifting World Championships.
Mexico participated at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 August to 5 September 2021.
Individual Paralympic Athletes (2000)
