Why isn't powerlifting an olympic sport

[frasersteen]

Been wondering this, it is a test of strength, skill and determination, there are strict judging criteria, all the athletes are amateur. What am I missing here? Has anyone tried to get it registered?

It would also help unite all the feds into a single organisation meaning that we could have proper comps and records.

[Drew23]

Too much argument on the rules. And gear would never be allowed. I think the recent raw movement is an attempt at eventually getting into the olympics.

[UHCougar05]

Been wondering this, it is a test of strength, skill and determination, there are strict judging criteria, all the athletes are amateur. What am I missing here? Has anyone tried to get it registered?

It would also help unite all the feds into a single organisation meaning that we could have proper comps and records.

The IPF made a push for this back in 2001. I doubt it would help unite all the feds though, as there are too many differing opinions on gear, rule interpretation, meet equipment (mono vs. ER Rack), etc...

The existence of untested federations probably isn't helping our case either, but that's another story altogether.

**Edit** - x2 to what Drew said...

[endpoint]

I am sure the drug debate causes the IOC to cringe every time.

I think it could work if it was raw. The public would find lifting gear hard to understand!

PS it isn't a sport of skill.

[Maiar]

It takes as much skill as sprinting and swimming etc.
Unless you were being sarcastic.

I'd love for it to be in the olympics. You could even argue equipped lifting since the swimmers and runners are wearing their advanced body suits and stuff.
Would be amazing if it ever was though.

[TrettinR]

It takes as much skill as sprinting and swimming etc.
Unless you were being sarcastic.

I'd love for it to be in the olympics. You could even argue equipped lifting since the swimmers and runners are wearing their advanced body suits and stuff.
Would be amazing if it ever was though.

Swimming takes MUCH more skill than lifting a barbell.

And the advanced body suits are easy to understand, they reduce friction. But the average person who sees someone benching in a shirt will have no idea what a shirt really does, and will just be asking themselves "why don't they just lift the weight themselves?"

[UHCougar05]

I am sure the drug debate causes the IOC to cringe every time.
I think it could work if it was raw. The public would find lifting gear hard to understand!

PS it isn't a sport of skill.

This seemed to be the deal breaker IMO. Well, that and the fact that PL isn't a big money maker.

[PeonLover]

Within a couple months of the introduction of the advanced body suits into swimming they were banned forever.

The problem is gear and gear.

[19george]

the fact that PL isn't a big money maker.

Bingo

[aussie_chunky]

I swam competitively for a decade mastering Bench, Deadlift and the Squat is much harder than swimming.

[rob1992]

I swam competitively for a decade mastering Bench, Deadlift and the Squat is much harder than swimming.

you're 19, im sure you mastered swimming during your competative career...

[rob1992]

the IOC officially recognizes single ply geared lifting as powerlifting in the world games so if it was ever promoted to the olympic games it would be in its current form; if they wanted to get raw lifting sanctioned by the IOC they'd have to start over again.

the lack of a cohesive sanctioning body, rampant drug use, and the lack of a slot in the games are the reasons why Powerlifting is not an olympic sport; mostly the drug use though, its why baseball was axed from the games

[ZidaneValor]

I don't personally think the issue is equipment related. In a snatch and a clean and jerk, you basically almost always have a consensus for a good lift. The only time there is an issue is if the lifter is unsteady, but almost every lift that gets locked out is good. In powerlifting, there is a lot of controversy about proper squat depth and bench form. Also in powerlifting, you can use a really wide squat/deadlift stance and a relative large bench arch to basically remove most of the range of motion from the lift.

[rob1992]

I don't personally think the issue is equipment related. In a snatch and a clean and jerk, you basically almost always have a consensus for a good lift. The only time there is an issue is if the lifter is unsteady, but almost every lift that gets locked out is good. In powerlifting, there is a lot of controversy about proper squat depth and bench form. Also in powerlifting, you can use a really wide squat/deadlift stance and a relative large bench arch to basically remove most of the range of motion from the lift.

yet they manage to overcome this in each federation?

yes there is contraversy about depth of lifts, but it seems to be, say, IPF depth lifters saying an SPF lift was high

i dont know too much about PL comps, but i dont think the IPF has many problems with lifts being called out etc

bottom line is; judges judge lots of events such as diving or equestrian stuff; you have a set of rules and the judges stick to them

[endpoint]

I don't personally think the issue is equipment related. In a snatch and a clean and jerk, you basically almost always have a consensus for a good lift. The only time there is an issue is if the lifter is unsteady, but almost every lift that gets locked out is good. In powerlifting, there is a lot of controversy about proper squat depth and bench form. Also in powerlifting, you can use a really wide squat/deadlift stance and a relative large bench arch to basically remove most of the range of motion from the lift.

New to powerlifting?

[Torrtrefireto]

in olympic lifting 1 guy in a singlet with chalk walks out and lifts a barbell over his head


in powerlifting 1 guy with weird gear on walks out to get under a bench with 10 other dudes around him and takes it from half lockout to his belly and back up to half lockout

Even if he's raw and its strict rules he's still surrounded by extra equipment (racks ect) and several dudes spotting him.

I sure think olympic lifting is the better sport to watch. Its so much easier/fun(ner)

[DanielBeauchamp]

New to powerlifting?

lol that ^

[frasersteen]

Disagree that there is no skill, although perhaps it is better worded as technique, but I don't see this as different to say shotput or javelin. For sure it is not like volleyball or shooting.

Personally I would like to see it raw, this is how the sport is supposed to be done. Not that I don't respect geared lifts but I always have the question in the back of my mind "how would he do raw".

As for doping, well, anyone who tested positive would not be able to compete. You would have to have a screening process initially for every athlete (or maybe just those that compete in untested feds) but after a while you could go back to random tests like everyone else. We can save the doping debate for another thread (possibly on another forum) but personally I don't see how it has a place in any competitive sport.

Anyone got any links they can post relating to this?

[PeonLover]

Raw powerlifting just about never needs more than 2 spotters for benching and 3 for squatting and 0 for deadlifting. So Torrtre's post is highly inaccurate as to what is actually necessary

[rob1992]

a couple links you should read that are relevant to this topic

http://www.marunde-muscle.com/fitnes..._olympics.html

http://www.ripnrage.com/2008/12/no-o...-powerlifting/

http://www.powerlifting-ipf.com/file...ecognition.pdf

also there's something that says the focus has to be on the athlete; if you think about all the olympics sports, how many sports have other people around the athletes that blocks them from view of the tv cameras

you could argue that they could film from certain angles so the spotters dont get in the way; but still, they wouldnt be allowed spotters as it is at the moment, and well you cant have powerlifting without spotters

[TrettinR]

Raw powerlifting just about never needs more than 2 spotters for benching and 3 for squatting and 0 for deadlifting. So Torrtre's post is highly inaccurate as to what is actually necessary

Well when you get 700-800lb raw squatters I think those often should have 5 spotters in case something bad happens. A lifter isn't ALWAYS going to be able to stay with the bar.

[Maiar]

Swimming takes MUCH more skill than lifting a barbell.

And the advanced body suits are easy to understand, they reduce friction. But the average person who sees someone benching in a shirt will have no idea what a shirt really does, and will just be asking themselves "why don't they just lift the weight themselves?"

I was a really good swimmer when I was younger and I have to say it took me just as long if not longer to perfect my form on the big 3 than it took to learn the strokes.

[Maiar]

you're 19, im sure you mastered swimming during your competative career...

swimming is pretty competitive over here, I was in the same boat, the big 3 are just as difficult to learn for me as swimming was and I was somewhat of a natural swimmer.

[rob1992]

I was a really good swimmer when I was younger and I have to say it took me just as long if not longer to perfect my form on the big 3 than it took to learn the strokes.

im making a slight assumption here...

but you do not have perfect form on the big 3

you do not have perfect swimming technique

[TrettinR]

im making a slight assumption here...

but you do not have perfect form on the big 3

you do not have perfect swimming technique

That's a bold assumption!!!!

[frasersteen]

a couple links you should read that are relevant to this topic

http://www.marunde-muscle.com/fitnes..._olympics.html

http://www.ripnrage.com/2008/12/no-o...-powerlifting/

http://www.powerlifting-ipf.com/file...ecognition.pdf

also there's something that says the focus has to be on the athlete; if you think about all the olympics sports, how many sports have other people around the athletes that blocks them from view of the tv cameras

you could argue that they could film from certain angles so the spotters dont get in the way; but still, they wouldnt be allowed spotters as it is at the moment, and well you cant have powerlifting without spotters

Articles state doping as the major problem, suspect there is a fair amount of political opposition too.

[drjjg]

If anything, it should only be the deadlift thats added. Too much controversy with the other two. The main advantage, is that the setup would remain the exact same as the other Oly lifts(ie, barbell and weights on a platform). Use the same equipment restrictions(possibly add using a switch grip) and you are set.

[KRILLEN91]

If anything, it should only be the deadlift thats added. Too much controversy with the other two. The main advantage, is that the setup would remain the exact same as the other Oly lifts(ie, barbell and weights on a platform). Use the same equipment restrictions(possibly add using a switch grip) and you are set.

for someone that's never really deadlifted they wouldn't be able to appreciate the deadlift that much, because compared to the snatch or clean and jerk it doesn't look like a very impressive lift. They'll just look at the weight and think 'oh **** thats a lot of weight and heavy but how come their only lifting it up to their waist'.
that said if it was combined with bench i think it could be very successful so it'd be like a bench/dead meet.
bench (raw) would be more successful because every kid who's ever done wrestling or football in school has lifted weights in the past. And i think almost anyone who's ever been in a gym before has tried their hand at benching.

but iono i think the reason it isn't an olympic sport yet is because it doesn't have a wide audience following it. Everyone who lifts will get behind it and find it interesting and probs watch it. But for people who have never been in a lifting or gym environment they won't be able to become engaged to it because they can't fathom the excitement of it. To an uneducated audience it's just 3 different movements of lifting ridiculously heavy weight with a relatively short range of motion. In reality a lot of olympic sports are boring though so imo they should definitely make it a sport coz i know i'd rather be watching powerlifting than other sports they got in it with the horses, walking, shooting etc.

[Newbtime]

-its a fragmented divided cluster F of a sport
-gear
-the division gear causes
-they already have a weight lifting sport

[BEhave]

Surprised nobody mentioned this. Do you guys not know that there is powerlifting (bench only), in the paralympic games?



I don't see a reason for powerlifting not to be in the olympics in some form or another. The drug debate is irrelevant, drugs are used in all sports no matter what, people get caught sometimes, sometimes they don't.