Welsh Senior Championships 2025 and Welsh Open

Overview 

Weightlifting Wales are excited to be delivering the Welsh Senior Championships competition of 2025, which is set to take place on the weekend of the 22nd November in Bangor. The Welsh Seniors will bring together the very best lifters from across the nation as they set to compete for the honour of a Welsh National title.

The Welsh Senior Championships will be on the Saturday 22nd November, with a Welsh Open being hosted on the Sunday 23rd November at the same venue in Bangor. The Welsh Open will provide an opportunity for those who haven’t qualified for the Welsh Seniors a chance to compete, as well the competition being open to anybody to participate in from anywhere in the UK and Ireland.

Both events are to be classed as a Tier 2 event, as they national events hosted by an NGB. You can find the explanations between the three different tier levels of weightlifting events in accordance with British Weightlifting, as well as other competition rules on our 'competition information' page on the website, which can also be accessed through here: Competition Information

Entries for both the Welsh Senior Championships and Welsh Open are live on Sport 80 - with the entry closing date for both events being on SUNDAY 2ND NOVEMBER at11.59pm.

British Weight Lifting | Sport:80

Venue Location

The full address of the 2025 Welsh Senior Championships and Welsh Open taking place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd November is as follows: 

Canolfan Brailsford Sports Centre

Ffriddoedd Road,

Bangor, 

United Kingdom, 

LL57 2EH

Please scroll down to see important updates for U'12's - U'17's weigh-in procedures for this event

Travelling to the venue

Car:

There are good road links to Bangor along the north Wales coast, with the M56 and M6 in being the closest motorways. The town is mainly accessible via the A55 expressway, a major road that connects Northwest England to North Wales. Also, in most cases if driving from the South/North/East England region the fastest route to Bangor is the A55 expressway as well along the north Wales coast.

Coming from West Wales, it would be best to follow the A487 via Porthmadog and Caernarfon to the Bangor region. And from South Wales, our advice would be to follow the A49 through Hereford, Leominster and Shrewsbury, then follow Wrexham and Chester signs to the A55.

Free parking is available at the venue on a first come first serve basis. The car park is a wheelchair-accessible car park that provides designated accessible car parking spaces (there are a number of blue badge bays directly opposite the main entrance), alongside a wheelchair-accessible entrance to the venue itself. 

Bus:

Bangor Bus Station is located on Garth Road (next to Marks and Spencer). Each route has a number, which is displayed at the bus stop and on the bus itself. The main bus service operating in Bangor is Arriva. Timetables can be obtained at the bus station or on the bus services’ website: www.arrivabus.co.uk  or on the local Council website www.gwynedd.gov.uk under ‘Parking, Road & Travel’.

The Ffriddoedd Bangor University Campus in which Canolfan Brailsford Sports Centre   is located on can be reached through the following bus routes: 5, X5, 5C, 42.

From further afield on a national scale, National Express and other coach services offer connections to Bangor from various cities across the UK.

Train:

Bangor benefits from excellent rail connections, providing an efficient and scenic way to reach the town. The main station, Bangor Railway Station, serves the city of Bangor, Gwynedd, is well-served by trains from various parts of the UK, through train operates Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast. Bangor railway station is situated around 0.3 miles southeast of Canolfan Brailsford Sports Centre, which is only a short walk of around 15 minutes.

Bangor is on the main line to Holyhead and is served by regular direct trains from London Euston (around 3.5 hours travelling time), Manchester (around 2.5 hours travelling time), Birmingham (around 3 hours travelling time) and Cardiff (around 4 hours travelling time). Trains travelling from London will stop through various stations along the midlands, Crewe, Chester, and the North Wales coastal towns. Anyone coming from Manchester, Liverpool, or other parts of North West England can easily access Bangor via direct train services as well that link up with the North West coastal line.

General facilities at Bangor train station include a ticket office, sheltered cycle storage, waiting rooms, cafe, toilets and step free access coverage through various lifts, with a ramp for train access.

Venue facilities

Upon arrival at the main entrance to the venue, which is accessed on a slight level, you met by power sided automatic double doors. Once in building itself, all corridor doors will be manually pull/push operated. An accessible toilet is available on the ground floor, with a refuge point being located by the main lift.

To find out a detailed plan of the whole venue building, we advise you to click the following link below which will take you through to a video that walks you through how to get round all the access points and other facilities of the Canolfan Brailsford Sports Centre, in a POV style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK433q0pr6Q

Note the following timecodes for the above video:

00:07 Vehicular Access

00:31 Parking

00:40 Entrance

00:49 Lifts

01:18 Facilities

01:35 Refuge Points

Spectators

Spectator tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite ahead of the competition. If you do not wish to do so, you will be expected to pay at the door as you enter through the main sports hall (cash only). To avoid any inconveniences on the day, we recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of the competition.

The link to the Eventbrite page for spectator tickets can be find below.

Welsh Senior Championships 2025 tickets

Weigh-Ins 

All weigh-ins will take place at the venue and athletes will be directed from the reception desk to the weigh in room. 

Athletes are required to weigh in in their singlets. 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.

Competing athletes will need to take some form of identification with them when they go to weigh-in, so the Officials can verify everyone. All athletes 13years and over will be weighed-in, in which those athletes will then be provided their 'starting weights' for the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk, so for athletes, 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.

If any athlete aged 18 or above is to weigh-in on competition day above the maximum threshold for the bodyweight category they have entered in, then they will still be able to take part in the event but will instead be competing as a GUEST lifter, and therefore won't be in the competition itself within the group and won't earn a position within the category they have entered in. We strongly encourage all lifters aged 13years and above to inform the competition organiser of any category changes at least 3 days prior to the event to help ensure smooth scheduling all lifters. This enables us to ensure that lifters are all scheduled correctly on the day. 

All under 18's may weigh-in wearing the clothes they will compete in, which may be either a singlet OR shorts/leggings and a T-shirt / long sleeve fitted top as per competition rules. Socks and shoes will be removed. Female officials will only weigh-in female lifters, and male officials will only weigh-in male competitors. 

Safeguarding and Good Practice: Youth Bodyweight Categories at WW Events

At Weightlifting Wales, we recognise that young lifters are growing and adapting to training. To support their development and wellbeing, the following trial rules will apply at WW 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.
• 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 trial regulations. U12 lifters should select any bodyweight category when entering online - this will be disregarded once entries close.

Accreditation

For athletes competing, identification and proof of membership are required and are essential at weigh-in; please bring these along with you on the day. No physical ID; you will not be allowed to lift.

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

To coach in any Weightlifting Wales or British Weightlifting competition, UK coaches will need to have in place a current membership with British Weightlifting, and a Level 2 Olympic Weightlifting qualification as part of a valid coaching license. We highly recommend all coaches attend a safeguarding course each year ahead of competitions.

Only coaches with a current BWL licence 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.

Warm up area

You can find the below images of what the warmup area room looks like, and what the sort of setup you shall expect on the day, as well as a full approximate room layout.

Competition Rules

In Weightlifting and Para-Powerlifting, you are permitted to use certain types of support and wear specific accessories of clothing 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.

For more information on what type of clothing is permitted, as well as the full run down of the Technical Rules set by the International Weightlifting Federation and World Para Powerlifting, find the links below:

International Weightlifting Federation Technical Rules

World Para Powerlifting Technical Rules

On competition day, 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.

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.

Under 12 Lifters: The BWL points scoring system for under 12s; encouraging the technical abilities of young lifters at these crucial age groups. The points system is designed to encourage lifter’s technical ability rather than how much they can lift and so be competitive because of their technical ability. The final points awarded are a combination of technical ability and weight lifted rather than just weight lifted. The lifter will score the most points through the highest combination of technique points scored and the weight lifted in kilograms in the two lifts of the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk.

Anti-Doping

This is a UK Anti-Doping sanctioned event. As such, UKAD can be present during the competition day and select lifters for anti-doping testing.

For more information on the changes within the 2025 World Anti-Doping Code, as well as the full prohibited, find the relevant link below to the area on the UKAD website.

https://www.ukad.org.uk/athletes/whats-banned-sport-prohibited-list

Food/Drink and Refreshments

There will be a catering stall within the main sports hall of the venue where athletes can purchase food such as sandwiches, snacks and hot/cold drinks. Nearby, there is also a Morrisons, which is an 8 minute walk from the venue. 

Photography

There will often be a WW staff member or external photographer at 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. 

Grip and Rip will also be there across both days capturing everyone's lifts. These will be available to purchase on their website at:

 https://www.gripandrip.co.uk/ 

OR head to @gripandrip.media on Instagram to check out their content ahead of the event weekend.

If you decide on the day of competition that you do not want photos to be taken of you/your child, you must inform a member of the Weightlifting Wales team so he/she may inform the photographer.

Below is a guide on photography and video at events, as well as the attached infographic for advice on spectator photography.

WW/BWL Photography and Video Guidelines

Medical

There will be a paramedic team on site throughout the competition's duration.

Safeguarding

Our designated safeguarding lead is Simon Roach, who will on site in the venue during the whole day. If you suspect a safeguarding concern, please contact Simon Roach at simon.roach@weightlifting.wales , or should be reported to the front desk area who will communicate out for Simon. Our deputy safeguarding lead Hannah Powell (hannah.powell@weightlifting.wales ), will also be present on the day.