International World Games Association : Powerlifting

Sports of The World Games

Strength counts certainly among the primary ingredients of athletic performances. And powerlifting’s lifts are the definitive measure of strength. Powerlifting is the ultimate strength competition.

The powerlifting athlete competes in three different disciplines, each designed to measure different areas of human strength. The sum or total of the best lift in each discipline determines the winner. Powerlifting is an exciting sport where athletes compete against the force of iron as well as the strength of fellow athletes.

Powerlifting is an international sport practiced in close to 100 countries on all continents. Athletes, men and women from 14 to 80, compete in different age groups and weight categories. Weight categories begin with the women's 44 kg class and end with the men's over 125kg class (unlimited). Powerlifters are superbe athletes competing in a challenging sport. They move massive amounts of weight in hi-tech supportive gear that protects against injury. Contests and appreciative fans can be found from Delhi, India, to Dallas, USA. The powerlifting athletes compete in a wide variety of local, state, regional, national and international competitions.

The three disciplines that make up the sport are, in the contest order, the Squat, the Bench Press and the Deadlift.

Squat

The lift starts with the lifter standing erect and the bar loaded with weights resting on the lifter's shoulders. At the referee's command the lift begins. The lifter bends his knees and lowers himself into a squatting position with the hips slightly below parallel position. The lifter returns to an erect position. At the referees command the bar is returned to the rack and the lift is completed.

Bench Press

With his or her back resting on the bench, the lifter takes the loaded bar at arm's length. At the referee's command the powerlifter lowers the bar to the chest. On the chest there must be a visible pause. Afterwards the powerlifter pushes the weight up until the arms are straight and the elbows locked. Then the referee will call 'Rack!' and the lift is completed as the weight is retuned to the rack.

Deadlift

In the deadlift the athlete grasps the loaded bar which is resting on the platform floor. The powerlifter pulls the weights off the floor and assumes an erect position. The knees must be locked and the shoulders back, with the weight held in the lifters's grip. At the referees command the bar will be returned to the floor under the control of the lifter.

The first powerlifting competitions were organized in the early 1960s. Powerlifting takes pride in its steady growth. At present, there are close to one million registered athletes in the sport. The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) governs all competitions in the member nations. The IPF has a banned substance abuse policy and adheres to the World Anti-Doping Code. The IPF conducts consistently in- and out-of-competition doping controls.

Powerlifting at The World Games 2005

Powerlifting events on the Official Sports Program of The World Games 2009 Kaohsiung:

Women's Powerlifting in the weight classes: 48-52 kg, 56-60 kg, 67,5-75 kg, 82,5+ kg; Men's Powerlifting in the weight classes: 56-67,5 kg, 75-82,5 kg, 90-100 kg, 110+ kg

Powerlifting athletes compete in a grueling triathlon of human strength. Three disciplines challenge men and women to lift multiples of their body weight to a prescribed sequence: lowering themselves from a loaded and erect position to a squat and getting back. Or, lying on a bench, bringing the load from arm extension down to the chest and back up! Or raising the weights off the floor and assuming an erect position! It is the ultimative test of strength for athletes of all sizes. Some of the strongest weighing in at just over 44 kg.

In the women's lightweight event (44 to 52 kg) of 2005 Duisburg, Yukako Fukushima (JPN) had a shot at another bronze. She had won one in Akita four years earlier. But after the final deadlift she lost out narrowly to Chen Wei-ling (TPE).

Both athletes faced off again at the 2007 World Championships in Soelden, Austria, where Chen Wei-ling won the title ahead of Yukako. Who knows, the two may well continue their duel all the way to The World Games 2009? Powerlifting will be a draw in Kaohsiung: a number of lifters from the host nation are among the favorites for gold in some of the weight classes. The NSYSU Sun Yat-Sen Hall, the sport's venue in Kaohsiung, should be sold out on both competition days.

Powerlifting at The World Games