Competition Information

Tier 1 - British Championship/International
This tier of competition is the highest standard of weightlifting in the UK, showcasing the best lifters our country has to offer. Lifters from anywhere in the UK are eligible to compete, however they must have met the qualification standard in a valid competition.

Tier 2 – Home Nation Championships (e.g. Home Nations Open/Welsh Championships)
Competitions hosted by the Home Nations. Each will have its own eligibility standards, so check these with the organiser before entering. For example, the Welsh Championships is only open to lifters who meet the eligibility criteria (found below)

Tier 3 – Club Events

For example, an Academy Open hosted regionally at a club. These events are open to all lifters to enter and achieve results that feature on our rankings list. This tier is suitable for both novice and experienced lifters and the ideal place to qualify for Tier 1 and 2 competitions.
 

RECORDS

Welsh records will only be accepted from Tier 1, Tier 2 and international competitions. Tier 3 results will not be accepted
 

For your first competition and/or at Development Age Group/Tier 3 club competitions, lifters may compete in shorts and a T-shirt. However, after progressing to Tier 2 (Home Nations) competitions, lifters must wear a weightlifting costume and comply with the following criteria:

WEIGHTLIFTING CLOTHING
Clothing must be worn in accordance with the Technical Rules of Weightlifting and set by the International Weightlifting Federation:

• Outfit must be 'one piece' E.g. lifting suit / leotard / singlet
• Outfit must be collarless
• May be of any colour
• The single-piece must not cover either the knees or the elbows
• May be decorated with the club emblem and or club name (unless the club is sanctioned from the federation), athlete name /nick name or a national emblem
• Athlete must wear sports footwear
• You may wear a long sleeved top and or tights / leggings underneath the one-piece suit, this may be any colour but patterns are prohibited
• A T-shirt is permitted underneath the one-piece but the sleeves must not cover the elbows

• Any garment underneath the one-piece must be collarless and tight-fitting

   

PARA POWERLIFTING COMPETITION CLOTHING

Para Powerlifting Competition attire according to the World Para Powerlifting Technical Rules:

• Must be a one-piece e.g. singlet / lifting suit / leotard
• Must be one-ply
• Must wear a T-shirt underneath which does not cover elbows
• Must wear socks and shoes if applicable
• For the full-details of what type of suit is permitted in a Para Powerlifting suit, read through 12.3 of the WPPO Technical Rules (link below further down the page).

WEIGHTLIFTING EQUIPMENT

In Weightlifting, you are permitted to use certain types of support during the competition. You should check the equipment you have is legal in weightlifting before your competition, as the Technical Controller may check this and tell you that your equipment is not allowed.

• Belt
  1. 4.4.1 A weightlifting belt may be worn. If used, it must be worn on the outside of the costume.
  2. 4.4.2 The maximum width of the belt is twelve (12) cm.
• Bandage(s)
  1. 4.5.1.6 No bandages or substitutes are allowed within ten (10) cm of the elbow area. The ten (10) cm area consists of five (5) cm above and five (5) cm below the elbow.
  2. One-piece elastic bandages, neoprene / rubberised kneecaps, or patella protectors which allow free movement, may be worn on the knees. Kneecap bandages / protectors may not be reinforced by way of buckles, straps, whalebone, plastic or wire.
• Sticking plaster(s)
  1. 4.5.2.2 Sticking plasters worn on the fingers and thumb must not protrude in front of the fingertips.
• Tape(s)
  1. 4.5.3.4 No tape or substitutes are allowed within ten (10) cm of the elbow area. The ten (10) cm area consists of five (5) cm above and five (5) cm below the elbow.
• Glove(s) and / or Palm Guard(s)

  1. 4.6.2 Gloves may only cover the first knuckle of the fingers.

      

PARA POWERLIFTING EQUIPMENT

• Bandages & Wrist Wraps
  • 12.3.9.1 Only wraps or bandages of a one ply commercially woven elastic that is covered with polyester, cotton or a combination of both materials or medical crepes are permitted
  • 12.3.9.3 Bandages must not exceed 1 metre in length and 80 mm in width. Where a bandage is used, it must not extend beyond 100 mm above and or 20 mm below the centre of the wrist joint and must never exceed a total covered width of 120mm
• Belts
  • 12.3.8.1 Must be worn outside the suit
  • 12.3.8.7 Must not exceed 100mm in width,
  • 12.3.8.8 13mm maximum in thickness
  • 12.3.8.9 Inside width of buckles maximum 110mm
• Plasters & Taping
  • 12.3.10.1 Plasters must not be worn anywhere on the body without official permission of the TD or, in their absence, the PJ and or the CR, with the Chief Medical Officer on duty in attendance, where available. 
  • 12.3.10.2 Plasters [band-aids] cannot be used as aids, e.g. to assist the athlete gripping the bar. 
  • 12.3.10.5 Any other types of medical taping, physiological taping, and strapping is not allowed.
• Leg Bench Straps
  • 12.3.7.1 Any athlete is allowed to have their legs strapped to the bench for additional stability and with the choice of using either one or two straps. 
  • 12.3.7.2 Leg / Bench straps must measure between 1.6m – 2.2m in length and between 7.5cm - 10cm in width with no additional padding, metal buckles or loops. 
  • 12.3.7.4 Only Velcro type fastening is allowed

For more information on what type of clothing is permitted in a Weightlifting/Para Powerlifting competition, as well as information on the other general rules, click on the links below:

To coach in any Weightlifting Wales or British Weightlifting competition, UK coaches will need to have in place a current membership with British Weightlifting, a Level 2 Olympic Weightlifting Coaching qualification, and a enhanced DBS check as part of a valid coaching license. We highly recommend all coaches attend a safeguarding course at least every three years. An example of this type of course could be UK Coaching's - Safeguarding & Protecting Children course.

Safeguarding & Protecting Children - UK Coaching 

Only coaches with a current BWL license will be able to collect a coach accreditation (wristband) and any coach found passing their accreditation to another person will have their accreditation withdrawn and may be subject to further action after the competition. Any person found in the warm-up area without an athlete accreditation or coach wristband will be asked to leave the area immediately.

Technical officials are to collect an accreditation wristband/lanyard through the Weightlifting Wales team on arrival at the competition venue.

When you enter a competition, you will select the weight class you want to enter / have qualified to compete in. This will be all done through the competition entry form on Sport 80, which is where you setup your British Weight Lifting membership. To lift in any Welsh or British Weight Lifting competition, you must have a valid membership in place.

In all competitions, weigh-ins will usually take place at the venue and athletes will be directed from the reception desk to the weigh in room on arrival to the venue. Weigh-ins will typically take place around 2 hours before the start-time of the competition. Check the competition schedule ahead of the competition for exact times.

Athletes are required to weigh in in their singlets/clothing they are lifting in. For athletes that are intending to make weight, athletes that are ‘over’ their category will have a 0.25kg deduction to account for the weight of the singlet as per International Weightlifting Federation protocol. 

The Technical Officials weighing the lifters in will be the only people in the room when the weigh-in takes place, unless you choose to take a chaperone in with you. Female officials will only weigh-in female lifters, and male officials will only weigh-in male competitors.

For athletes competing, some form of identification and/or proof of membership are required when you go to weigh-in. Please bring these along with you on the day so the Technical Officials can verify your identification at the weigh-in. No physical ID may result in not being allowed to lift in the competition. 

Your bodyweight at weigh-in will be recorded, and you will provide your 'starting weights' for the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk, so be sure to check with your coach what numbers you should put down. But do not worry- your coach can change these during the competition.

At Weightlifting Wales, we recognise that young lifters are growing and adapting to training. To support their development and wellbeing, the following rules will apply at Weightlifting Wales events:

• Under 12s:
  There will be no weigh-in for U12 lifters. Openers and paperwork will still be completed 2 hours before competition.
  Results will be based on technical points, with an emphasis on safe, efficient lifting. The lifter will score the most points through the highest combination of technique points scored and the weight lifted in kilograms in the best two lifts of the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk.
• Under 13 – Under 17s:
  If a lifter weighs over or under their selected category on the day, they will be moved into the correct category and remain in full competition - not as a guest. Their results will be transferred accordingly.
• Bodyweight Category Changes:
  All lifters no matter their age should inform the competition organiser of any category changes at least 3 days prior to the event to help ensure smooth scheduling.
• Reducing Weight:
  WW strongly discourages any lifter under 18 from cutting weight for competition. If a change of category is needed, please let the organiser know - it is no problem to update this before the event.

Note on U12 Entries via Sport80:
The Sport80 entry system, managed by British Weight Lifting, has not yet been updated for these regulations. U12 lifters should select any bodyweight category when entering online - this will be disregarded once entries close.

Women: 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, 86kg +

Men: 60kg, 65kg, 71kg, 79kg, 88kg, 94kg, 110kg, 110kg+
 

Women 41kg, 45kg, 50kg, 55kg, 61kg, 67kg, 73kg, 79kg, 86kg, 86kg+

Men 49kg, 54kg, 59kg, 65kg, 72kg, 80kg, 88kg, 97kg, 107kg, 107kg+

Lifters have three attempts in the Snatch, and three in the Clean and Jerk. A lifter's best attempts in each discipline are combined to give a total, on which the ranking of the competition is based. 
 

Women will compete using a 15kg bar and men will compete using a 20kg bar. The lifter must begin their lift, with the bar passing the knees before the timer runs out. The referees will signal to the lifter when to put the bar down when they are satisfied the lift is complete and they will signal using a light system whether the lift was a 'good' or a 'no' lift. If a lifter receives two or more white lights, this is a 'good lift', if the lifter receives two or more red lifts, this is a 'no lift'. 

Please remember the `foot touching the bar' rule: A no lift will be given if an individual uses his/her foot to move the bar before the attempt or puts their foot on the bar or plates before the attempt. The technical official must press the red button to indicate a no lift. If the barbell is touched with a foot after a successful attempt the referees’ decision will not be reversed, however a warning will be given to the lifter. If the lifter repeats this action on a subsequent lift, the lift will be a No Lift.

If a lifter fails to register a successful attempt in either the Snatch or the Clean and Jerk, they will not receive a total and therefore will not be ranked in the competition.

There will usually be a 10 minute break between the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk part of the competition unless otherwise announced.

The winner of the competition is the lifter who registers the highest total. If two lifters reach the same total, then the lifter who achieved this first in the competition will be the winner.

In powerlifting, male and female athletes assume a supine position on a specially designed bench, and after taking or receiving the bar at arms-length, the lifter shall wait with locked elbows and the bar under control for the Chief Referee's signal.

After receiving the signal "start", the lifter must lower the bar to the chest, hold it motionless (visible) on the chest and then press it upwards evenly, with an even equal extension of both the arms with locked elbows.

When held motionless and controlled in this position, the audible signal "rack" shall be given and the bar is returned to the rack.

Then an immediate decision shall be given by the three referees through a system of white and red lights. Two or more white lights signify a good lift and two or more red lifts reflect a no lift.

Each athlete has three attempts.

There will often be a photographer at WW events, taking photos and videos for promotional and advertising purposes. These may be used on our social media channels, our website, and on posters, to showcase our sport.

If you do not wish to be photographed, or you do not want your child to be photographed, you should get in touch with our events manager, Jake Eastwood, on admin@weightlifting.wales. 

If you decide on the day of competition that you do not want photos to be taken of you/your child, you must let staff know, so they can inform the photographer.

Below is a guide on photography and video at events.