For Meet Directors

Hosting Para Powerlifting Events

Developed 02 May 2023 by Tracey Rice.

Modified March 2026 by CanPL. We are grateful for the work that went into preparing this document and recognise and applaud Tracey's contribution to the sport of para powerlifting in Canada.

Purpose:

This guide is designed to assist CanPL meet directors and organising committees with hosting Para Powerlifting events using WPPO standards. This is primarily aimed at local and provincial meets and for the most part applies to all meets held within Canada , however further guidance specific to Regional and National level meets is found at the end.

Useful links: WPPO Rules

The Venue (important factors in selecting and preparing):

• Individuals using wheelchairs will/may require wider doorways entrances

• Ensure accessible washrooms are available

• Walk through event floor plan to identify any physical barriers that would impede participants with mobility issues (pathway width, stairs, doors and non-modifiable physical barriers), to determine if alternate safer pathway is required

• Placing the para warmup area closer to the entry/exit of the competition platform reduces obstacles through the able-bodied areas and causes less disruption to others warming up

• Competition platform requires a rise/ramp to allow anyone with mobility issues to enter and exit the platform safely; consider rise of ramp in planning

• All cords/cables should be taped, secured and/or ramped and identified clearly on pathways

• Hotel blocks should include wheelchair accessible suites

• In winter months, ensure sidewalks to entrances and cut out pathways are clear for safe transfer

Platform Equipment:

• Ensure privacy screens for weigh in stations or use a weigh in room

• Best practice is to use a Para scale to allow for wheelchair users to transfer to a zeroed chair on weigh scale.

• When possible, a WPPO-approved bench should be used for competing; other vendor equipment used for warm up areas (at the discretion of the organizing committee and based on availability). If a WPPO-approved bench is not available, then non-WPPO-approved adapters or benches may be used provided they approximate WPPO specifications.

• If only one bench is available, use it for warm ups first and then transfer it to the competition area.

• Two WPPO-specified bench straps for competitions area should be available in each of the warmup room and the platform, although one set can be transferred between warmup area and platform if required.

• All other IPF/CanPL equipment can be used for the rest of the event (weights, collars, etc) if you do not have WPPO-specific equipment.

Weigh Ins & Kit Check:

• All para athletes should be weighed on the same (para) scale for consistency regardless of ability.

• If a para scale is not available for your venue, an alternative is to weigh athletes at a venue elsewhere either at or the night prior to the event. (According to WPPO rules, athletes may be weighed the night before, with potential for random weigh-ins the morning of the event.)

• Equipment check is conducted during weigh ins, in the same space as the weigh in occurs. However at CanPL events, it is permissible to conduct equipment check separately prior to and during weigh ins. If this is done, the equipment check area should be checked for accessibility.

Equipment used:

• At domestic events, National level and below, lifters may use any IPF-approved lifting suit OR official WPPO approved lifting suit. Please note that the WPPO allows for thigh/knee-length or full-leg singlets and the WPPO singlets may not appear on the IPF approved list.

• Socks, shoes and underwear are not required to be on any approved list, however they are checked to ensure no unapproved sponsors are on the items.

• Athletes should wear a basic cotton shirt with no supports. The event shirt can be worn to fulfill this requirement.

• Female athletes can wear a sports bra, but it must not have any padding or underwire support. 

• For current WPPO athletes, the lifting belt can be leather and have metal closures as these items would have been accepted at the international events (full specifications available in the WPPO Rules & Regulations); new athletes can use either WPPO or IPF approved belts.

• Wrist wraps can be used and should align with IPF approved wrist wraps

• Hijabs worn for cultural and/or religious reasons may be worn ensuring no pins or metal fasteners are within; WPPO asks for black only with no designs or embellishments

Weigh in considerations:

• Please ensure discretion during weigh-ins with privacy screens or private areas provided.

• Please limit all unnecessary personnel; the athletes should have one same-sex chaperone with them through this process in addition to their coach.

• Be mindful that the athletes may take off all clothes thus leaving them vulnerable to others witnessing their disability and as a result, medical products may become visible during their transfers to and from the weigh scale. Modesty and compassion is really valuable in this moment

• Due to existing medical conditions and bodily functions, the scale MUST be wiped down weight scales between athletes with disinfectant

• Gloves and cleaning supplies should be available for the area

• Rack heights and safeties vary from WPPO (Eleiko) benches and others, please ensure each athlete has tested this difference on the competition bench being used

Technical Officials:

• Do not need to be an IPF referee to progress through the WPPO pathway, although it is certainly helpful to have experience in making officiating decisions under pressure

• For all levels of play in 2026/20277, a Minimum Level 4 WPPO Certification required

• The jury should be WPPO-trained if used, as well as the referees. Under no circumstances should non-WPPO jurors override WPPO referees.

Competition:

• Para Powerlifting should be a flight of its own, preferrably in with bench-only sessions so as to make for a less chaotic warmup room and smoother organisation.

• The rack should be arranged such that the feet face the audience and the jury and the referees are behind the rack at the head and sides. Simply rotating the rack 180 degrees from its position in an able-bodied event provides a simple solution.

• WPPO rules should be used where possible, including a scoring system that features WPPO weigh classes and age groups. Lifting Cast is a customisable system that can accommodate this.

• WPPO fault cards should be used where possible.

• Para weight increments are 1kg, not 2.5kg. There should be at least one set of 0.5 and 1 kg chip plates in the warm up room before for the para event and another set for the platform.

• Coaches are allowed to do handoffs for lifters and the coaches are allowed to give press commands.

• After the handoff, the coach should move to the coaches box, which should be clearly outlined and may differ from that used by able bodied athletes as the rack has been rotated.

• Once the lift is complete, the spotters and loaders should refrain from loosening the collars and removing plates from the bar until the athlete has left the bench.

Regional and National Events:

The same standards of accessibility apply to all levels of play, however the expectation is that as the level of play increases, greater care will be take to ensure that all key markers are met. To that end, it is important to have an individual specifically assigned to oversee the setup and equipment for the para aspects of Regional and National Competitions.

For the purposes of 2026-2027, the same equipment standards will be implemented for platform and officiating requirements at Regionals and Nationals as at local and Provincial meets, however there is an expectation that as officiating resources allow, juries will be implemented at the Regional and National levels and that where possible, additional or higher quality equipment will be brought in. CanPL recognises that we are still in a growth phase for both the officating and equipment aspects of the sport.

The most important part of these events is that the athletes and coaches have positive experiences and that the meet director feel able to provide what is needed and comfortable asking questions of CanPL, the Adaptive Athlete Committee, the coaches at the meet, and the athletes themselves to ensure a smooth event. If the meet director must create a workaround, they are expected to consult with the para powerlifting athletes well before the start of the event and to apprise them of the situation and ask for feedback on the proposed solution.