In an open letter addressed to all the sport’s stakeholders, and copied personally to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, Davies says, "I am optimistic that we have made sufficient progress for the IOC to allow weightlifting in the Paris Games."

Her comments come as the IOC Executive Board is preparing to meet on Wednesday to discuss, among other things, weightlifting's future on the Olympic Games programme.

Davies, from Britain, says the new IWF Constitution "represents a leap forward in athlete participation in governance".

More than 90 per cent of 133 member federations voted in favour of the Constitution at a Congress in Doha, Qatar nine days ago and the 132-page document, after final amendments, is now published on the IWF website.

Under the new rules, which became effective last week, some members of the IWF Executive Board will not be able to stand at the all-important elections in December.

Davies described the rule as "a monumental step forward in the war against doping".

No nation with six or more doping violations in a four-year period between Olympic Games is allowed to nominate a candidate for any elected position.

Thailand, Romania and Egypt, all of which were banned outright from weightlifting at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, all have more than six violations since the Olympic period for Rio 2016.

Russia might do so too, depending on how the wording is interpreted and whether historic cases processed years later are counted.

All four of those nations currently have representatives on the IWF Board.

"Historically, only the athletes were punished for doping violations," says Davies, who finished fifth in the women’s 64-kilogram category in Tokyo and is hoping to compete again at Paris 2024.

She said that leaders of National Federations were never sanctioned and that the new rule, numbered 13.12, is designed "to prevent doping nations from retaining positions of authority in the IWF.

"Many of the Executive Board members mentioned in the Athletes Commission letter dated August 23 2021 (which called for the entire board to resign for the good of the sport) will not be able to stand for election this December.

"Going forward, this will reduce the voice of repeated doping offenders in our leadership.

"I believe we have opened a new chapter in weightlifting - one with a hope of transparent governance, clean sport, and athlete representation.

"There is still work to be done, and the elections taking place later this year will be significant for the long-term viability of the Federation.

"If the IOC still requires that certain Executive Board members resign or not run for re-election, the Athletes Commission will still be asking them to resign, but it will no longer be in anger or frustration, but with a sense of gratitude that those individuals are willing to take the final step to save our Olympic dreams.

"The Athletes of the IWF look forward to this next iteration of weightlifting - one of model governance, clean sport, and genuinely reflecting the Olympic spirit."

Davies’ views are in stark contrast to that August 23 letter, before the Constitutional Congress, which was written after Bach told her personally that "there is no way weightlifting will stay in the Games in its current form".

Bach said weightlifting needed "a change of culture and leadership" while Davies said the Board’s behaviour had been "chaotic and self-destructive" and that all of its members, not just those from the "old guard", should resign.

Now, after publication of the new Constitution, she is highly enthusiastic about the sport’s future.

Athletes now have rights "that exist in no other governing body" in Olympic sport, with three votes in Congress and on the Board.

They will also have the final say on any proposed changes to qualification and selection procedures for the Olympics and the IWF World Championships: nothing can be changed without the written approval of the Athletes' Commission.

The Athletes' Commission also must consent to any changes of technical and competition rules and regulations.

"This is one of many instances of distributed governance that is part of the new Constitution, which reduces the power of the executive board to act without input from other interested parties," Davies says.

"Since my appointment as Chair of the Athletes Commission (last year), one of my primary goals was to secure an athlete voice in the Congress.

"When I first mentioned this as one of my objectives, I was informed that it might be a reality in 100 years, but it was never going to happen now.

"The IWF is now blazing the trail for all other Olympic sports to follow on the issue of athlete representation."

Davies also highlighted the imposition of term limits on Board members, who cannot serve more than three consecutive terms, and the IWF President, who can serve only two terms regardless of whether they are consecutive.

"This provision will prevent history from repeating itself by having the same person as President for decades at a time."

The IWF has moved the Electoral Congress back by about three weeks to allow time for vetting of candidates to be carried out.

The Congress, which was to have been on December 2 and 3, will now be on December 20- and 21, probably in Doha again but subject to confirmation.

The additional time will allow an independent Eligibility Determination Panel to be appointed by the specialist sport dispute resolution service provider, Sport Resolutions.

The British not-for-profit company will oversee the vetting process.

"Adopting a new set of governance measures was a vital step towards improving the IWF’s future prospects and ensuring we best serve weightlifters," said Mike Irani, the IWF’s Interim President.

"We must ensure the proper independent scrutiny of candidates prior to them appearing on the ballot for IWF positions of trust and leadership."

The deadline for nominations is September 21.

A timeline and process for the elections of athlete representatives to the IWF Athletes' Commission will be announced "in the upcoming weeks", Irani said.

The IWF has also moved the dates of its 2021 World Championships to December 7 to 17, and will announce the host nation soon.