MOSCOW, June 13. /TASS/. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has barred athletes from displaying their national flags during medal-awarding ceremonies at IWF-supervised global tournaments, the IWF said in a statement on Tuesday.

On June 10-12, Havana, Cuba, hosted the IWF Executive Board session, which selected the host city for the 2024 IFW World Championship. Manama, the Bahraini capital, won the right to host this global tournament, beating out bids from Yerevan, Armenia, and Tirana, Albania.

In addition to voting on the host city for the 2024 world championship, the IWF Executive Board session also approved a number of technical matters, stating in its final document that, "the Video Replay System (VPT) has to be always used in IWF events," and that, "the athletes are not allowed to carry flags during medal ceremonies."

The latest regulations prohibit weightlifters from mounting the pedestal during a medal-awarding ceremony wrapped in their respective national flags; no reason was given for the flag ban.

The IWF Executive Board decided on May 12 to clear weightlifters from Russia and Belarus to take part in the international tournament in Cuba as neutrals.

The IWF ruled that all athletes seeking neutral status must fill out and submit individual declarations (commitments), in which they must confirm that they currently have no contractual or other links with the armed forces, state security agencies or other structures that provide support for the special military operation in Ukraine.