British Weight Lifting (BWL) is a trading name of the British Weight Lifters' Association Ltd (BWLA),''Report of the Directors and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2020 for British Weight Lifters Associatio

' "British Weight Lifters’ Association trading as British Weight Lifting is a company limited by guarantee." the Sports governing body, National Governing Body (NGB) in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

for the sports of

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...

and

para powerlifting Paralympic powerlifting, also known as para powerlifting and para-lifting, is an adaptation of the sport of powerlifting for athletes with disabilities. The only discipline in Paralympic powerlifting is the bench press. The sport is governed by th ...

. The

Association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

was initially established in 1910. From 1911 to 2003 its name was the British Amateur Weight Lifters' Association (BAWLA); and in 1957, it was incorporated as a

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...

. BWL support a large network of weightlifting bodies, clubs and gyms across the United Kingdom, as well as the thousands of people actively involved in Olympic and Paralympic weightlifting disciplines and people at every level of weight bearing activity. As a sport NGB, they are also committed to and responsible for greater inclusivity, improved governance, improved performance and being globally successful, winning medals at Olympics, Paralympics, World and Commonwealth events.

Overview

BWL is responsible for developing participation and performance across Olympic Weight Lifting and Para-Powerlifting in Great Britain and to offer greater opportunities for a wider and more diverse range of lifters of all ages and abilities. Initiatives include regular campaigns aimed at encouraging people to start lifting. In 2018 they partnered with Oomph! to help tackle inactivity in people over the age of 55. In 2019, Women in Sport and BWL launched, Strong Is Not A Size, to empower women to step into the weights areas of gym. They also operate several initiatives aimed at encouraging people to learn the fundamental movement skills in Olympic Weightlifting and for all sport and physical activities. This includes coordinating and facilitating the set-up, running and growth of club infrastructure from national, regional, and sub-regional level.

History

Weightlifting began to become an organised sport in the United Kingdom in the late 1800s, with the

Amateur Athletic Association The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA (pronounced 'three As') is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britai ...

(formed 1880), the Amateur Gymnastics Association (formed 1888), and the Wrestling Society. In 1910, the British Weight Lifters' Association was established in order to bring all amateur weightlifters into a united self-governing body. The new association was refounded in 1911 as the British Amateur Weight Lifters' Association (BAWLA). Today, the sport of competitive weightlifting (also known as "Olympic-style weightlifting") comprises two lifts: the snatch, and the two-part clean-and-jerk. But in the early years of organised amateur competitions there were many different types of lifts. In the 1960s and 70s, the competitive sport of

powerlifting Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effor ...

consolidated around the squat,

bench press The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectorali ...

, and

deadlift The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises, ...

. The BAWLA ran a powerlifting section, and was a founder member of the International Powerlifting Federation (founded 1972), and was the UK's original governing body for powerlifting. Later BAWLA's powerlifting section re-organised as an independent organisation – the GB Powerlifting Federation Ltd (incorporated in 2008, and trading as British Powerlifting) – with BAWLA remaining the governing body for Olympic-style weightlifting and for para powerlifting, which made its debut in the 1964 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. In 2003, the Association returned to its original name of the British Weight Lifters' Association (BWLA), and today is known by its trading name of British Weight Lifting.

Competitions

The BWL competition programme has three tiers. Competitions are set up for all age groups and weight categories from school age to masters (over 35's). Age groups for national competitions are, School Age, University and Colleges, Youth, Junior, U23 and Senior – Masters is 35+. BWL also host international qualifying events for weightlifters to enter the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

and

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

as part of Team GB.

Tier 1 ‘British Championships’

Tier 1 is the highest standard of weightlifting in the UK and competitions are organised directly by BWL. Lifters from anywhere in the UK are eligible to compete. They must have met the qualification standard at any Tier 2 or Tier 3 competition. The British Weightlifting Championships, 2019, took place at The Ricoh Arena,

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

, between June 8-9. Competing athletes attended to secure their place at the Tokyo Olympics. The selection policy for British Olympic Weightlifting is determined by the totals lifted at specific competitions and a selection panel, including the Chair of the BWL performance committee, a member of the BWL performance committee, the BWL performance director and two GB international coaches. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, a revised qualifying system was announced by the International Olympic Committee.

Tier 2 ‘Home Nation Championships’

Each UK Home Nation is responsible for its own national championships. All Tier 2 competitions hold equal standing across all four Home Nations; England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Most Tier 2 competitions have qualification standards to take part. In October 2020, BWL hosted age group championships virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tier 3 ‘Ranking Events’

Any club with a ‘Licensed Club’ affiliation to BWL or a Home Nation federation can apply to run a Tier 3 competition. Results feature on the BWL rankings list. This tier is suitable for both novice and experienced lifters and can be entered to qualify for Tier 1 and 2 competitions.

Home Nations

British Weight Lifting supports weightlifting and para-powerlifting in each of the UK's four Home Nations –

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

– in partnership with the governing bodies specific to each home nation. The governing body for both sports in Wales is the Welsh Weightlifting Federation Ltd (incorporated 2013), which trades as Welsh Weightlifting (

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

: ''Codi Pwysau Cymru''). In 2020, BWL and Welsh Weightlifting merged their memberships, with joint membership of both organisations for lifters in Wales. The governing body in Scotland is Weightlifting Scotland (incorporated 2005). In Northern Ireland it is Northern Ireland Weightlifting. The governing body for England is organised as a sub-committee of British Weight Lifting. It is known externally as England Weight Lifting and internally as the England group.

Certifications

BWL deliver practical and online training programmes to weightlifters, coaches, instructors, and technical officials. They were selected as one of the top two finalists in the Coaching Culture of the Year category at the UK Coaching Awards. Courses to help weightlifters improve technique and performance include Olympic Lifting Masterclass and Strength Training Masterclass. Other programmes include, Continued Professional Development (CPD) courses, the British Weight Lifting DiSE programme – a Diploma in Sporting Excellence, the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS), coaching courses and official licensing. BWL run talent pathways for Olympic hopefuls. The first national youth squad took place in Loughborough, 2016, at which 12 young lifters were selected to attend BWL training camps throughout the year.

Para powerlifting

Para Powerlifting made its debut at the 1964 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, featuring a handful of male competitors with spinal cord injuries. The sport now has hundreds of elite male and female participants from a variety of disability groups, representing more than 110 countries. At the 2020, Road to Tokyo Para Powerlifting World Cup, Britain finished with four gold, two silver and three bronze medals. Para powerlifting will be a part of British Universities and Colleges Sport programme for the first time in 2021.{{Cite web, last=, first=, date=, title=BUCS Para Powerlifting, url=https://www.bucs.org.uk/sports-subpage/weightlifting/para-powerlifting.html, url-status=live, archive-url=, archive-date=, access-date=, website= British Universities and Colleges Sport

References

Weightlifting Sports organisations of the United Kingdom