FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 18, 2022 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In a historic announcement, USA Weightlifting revealed today that Colorado Springs, Colorado, will host the 2023 USA Weightlifting National Championships Week.
Through 96 years of U.S. weightlifting championships, this is the first time the competition will be held in Olympic City USA, which is also the home of USA Weightlifting’s headquarters. It is just the second time a USA Weightlifting national event has visited the state of Colorado, following the Denver-based 2021 North American Open Finals.
“We are thrilled to finally welcome the country’s strongest athletes to our backyard,” said Pedro Meloni, USA Weightlifting’s director of events and sponsorship. “Between the city’s love for Olympic sports and its natural beauty, this national championships will be one for the books.”
The competition will follow the format of the 2021 and 2022 editions, opening with youth-level competition, followed by junior, U25 and the senior/open event in the final weekend.
Earlier this summer in Las Vegas, the 2022 nationals week saw roughly 1,700 athletes contend for national titles over nine days. With competitors from age 6 to 44 lifting, 411 athletes earned medals and set or broke 28 American records in the process.
“The USA Weightlifting National Championships Week is an incredible event to have in Olympic City USA,” said Megan Leatham, CEO of the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation (The Sports Corp). “The passion of this community for sports and the National Governing Bodies, along with the foundation created by the City for Champions project, will make Colorado Springs the perfect home for this world-class event.”
With support from The Sports Corp, the country’s premier annual Olympic-style weightlifting competition will take place June 24-July 2, 2023, at Ed Robson Arena. The state-of-the-art sustainable sporting venue opened in September 2021. Home to Colorado College’s men’s ice hockey team, Robson Arena is currently hosting that sport’s Under-17 Five Nations Tournament. It features 3,400 permanent spectator seats and 120,000 square feet for competition space, seating, locker rooms, concessions, restrooms, storage and administrative space.
Robson Arena is located at the north end of Downtown Colorado Springs, a booming area that includes more than 100 restaurants, breweries, distillers, coffee shops and bars, and nearly 1,000 hotel rooms split among seven hotels, all in walking distance.
Officially designated Olympic City USA in 2015, Colorado Springs is home to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and more than 20 National Governing Bodies, plus such visitor destinations as the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum and flagship U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, each of which is a five-minute drive from Robson Arena.
About Colorado Springs Sports Corporation
Colorado Springs Sports Corporation (The Sports Corp) exists to inspire and advance Colorado Springs, Olympic City USA and the Pikes Peak Region through sport and community events. The Sports Corp plays a critical role in bringing civic leaders together with some of the nation’s premier sporting organizations to promote tourism and create positive economic impact. The Sports Corp hosts annual marquee events including the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame, Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off, Star Spangled Symphony & July 4th Block Party, The Broadmoor Cycle to the Summit, Pikes Peak Regional Airshow, Rocky Mountain State Games, and various sport centric celebrations. For more information, visit ColoradoSpringsSports.org.
About USA Weightlifting
USA Weightlifting, a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), is the National Governing Body for the Olympic sport of weightlifting in the United States. USA Weightlifting’s mission is to enable U.S. athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence in Olympic competition and to promote and grow the sport of weightlifting in the United States. For more information, visit USAWeightlifting.org.
