Athletes on this programme will be guided through a progressiveBritish Weight Lifting syllabus, with the aim of gaining an understanding of what it takes to succeed in the sport and reinforce the fundamental skills needed to develop and achieve an athlete’s ambitions. All athletes on the regional youth and junior squads will be signed up for BWL online education and will receive a BWL certificate upon completion of the program.

Benefits of joining the program include BWL Certification for Youth & Junior Squads, improved skills and a deep understanding of competitive weightlifting, direct contact with Weightlifting Wales staff and coaches, and the chance to train alongside like-minded people.

The Youth & Junior programme consists of 6 in-person sessions and 6 online modules and will run from November 2023 to April 2024. The Foundations programme will consist of 5 in-person sessions only.

All athletes must be Weightlifting Wales/British Weight Lifting members to apply for communication and insurance purposes.

Regional Foundations (Under 15)

• Ages 12-15 who are early in their weightlifting journey
• Train regularly and consistently at the Olympic lifts, snatch, and clean and Jerk.
• Have competed or looking to compete in the next couple of months

• Are committed to exploring the sport and want to learn.
• The foundation’s program is a gateway to regional youth squads.
  
  Apply for Regional Foundations here

Regional Youth Squad (Under 17)

• Ages 14-17

• Train consistently and have competed in a Sport 80 registered weightlifting competition.

• Are committed to the sport as something they want to excel in long term,
• Athletes who effectively apply themselves to training, who support their teammates and are open to learning

• Athletes on this program will receive access to the Complete British Weightlifter Level 1 certificate.

Apply for Regional Youth Squad here

Regional Junior Squad (Tier 1)

• Aged 18-20
• Train 4-5 days per week and compete a minimum of 3x per year in Sport 80 registered competitions
• Are committed to the sport as something they want to excel in long term,
• Athletes who effectively apply themselves to training, who support their teammates and are open to learning.

• Athletes on this program will receive access to the Complete British Weightlifter Level 2 certificate.

Apply for Regional Junior squad here

Please note, that there are a limited number of places for each squad. For the youth and junior squads, if there are more sign-ups then places than the Commonwealth pathway standard will be used to rank the lifters.

For the foundations’ program, if there are more sign-ups than places, places will be limited per licenced club first, followed by the number of registered competitions the athlete has competed in.

Successful athletes will be contacted on Friday 20 October and will be sent full details of the program.

If you have any questions, please contact christie.williams@weightlifting.wales for North Wales enquiries and ania.negele@weightlifting.wales for South Wales enquiries.