What age-class am I in?

We have a simple table that tells you what age class you are in for any given competition year. You can consult it here: IPF Age Class Table

 
How do I qualify for Nationals?

The rule is: you have to have hit the qualifying total for the class you want to compete in at that weight or lighter during the Qualifying Period.

There’s a few items to consider so an example will be useful.

1. Decide the class you want to compete in and check the qualifying total
   • Check the Information menu above to find out the qualifying total for the weight (and age, if applicable) class you want to compete in.
   • For example for 2017 Nationals it was 545kg for 93kg Senior Men.
2. You must hit that qualifying total at the weight for that class or lighter
   • In this example, as a 93kg lifter, you could have hit it at any class from 93kg down (e.g. 83kg, 74kg, 66kg, 59kg).
3. You must hit that qualifying total during the Qualifying Period
   • Generally speaking, the qualifying period will be a period of twelve months ending 3–4 months before the National Championships.
   • In this example, with Nationals in July 2017, the Qualifying Period is April 2016 – March 2017 (ending three months before the month of Nationals: April, May, June).
   • There will sometimes be slight variations in the length of the Qualifying Period as we adjust the timing of Nationals around venue availability or International championships.
   • We will always do our best to protect lifters who have qualified and give fair warning if a lifter needs to re-qualify. We will always advertise the Qualifying Period as widely as we can.

With all of the above said, hitting the Qualifying Total is necessary but not sufficient to ensure a place at Nationals. If there are a very high number of lifters qualified for Nationals in any given year then due to venue and timing constraints we may be forced to restrict entry to the Top X athletes in a given weight class and then invite lifters with lower totals if/when those Top X lifters indicate they will not be competing at Nationals.

Over time we will adjust National Qualifying Totals to try to ensure everybody who attains them will have an opportunity to compete at Nationals but this won’t always be possible.

 
Can I join a non-IPF federation/participate in a non-IPF event?

In general, we have no rule against competing with other federations. We want to see powerlifting grow as a sport and we understand that sometimes a competition with another federation will suit better for in terms of timing, location, etc.

There are two main exceptions to be aware of:

1. If you compete at an event with any athletes or officials who are currently serving a sanction (suspension) for any anti-doping offence handed down by any WADA-affiliated body then you are liable to be sanctioned by the IPF (if already a member) or refused membership (if not already a member). This is an International Powerlifting Federation and WADA rule which we cannot overrule at National level.

   It is impossible for us to vet every single event’s list of athletes and officials so we are unable to guarantee if a given event is “safe” to compete at.

2. If you compete internationally for another federation then you cannot join the IPF National Team for a period of 12 months from the date of your international competition with another federation. You are still welcome to compete up to National level competitions but you will be ineligible for the National Team (assuming you satisfy all other qualification criteria).