WEIGHTLIFTING EQUIPMENT

Competitors have to lift a weight called the barbell, which consists of a steel bar (weighing 20 kg for a men’s, 15 kg for a women’s barbell) onto which rubber-coated and differently coloured weight discs are loaded and fastened with the help of collars (weighing 2.5 kg each). The athletes perform the lifts on an elevated stage with a platform of 4X4 metres made of wood and coated with non-slippery material.

The 3 referees pass their decision about the correctness and validity of each lift by pressing white or red light buttons on the small device in front of them. When a referee has judged a lift as correctly completed, he or she will press the white light button, or, if the attempt is not correct or missed, a red light button. As soon as two of the three referees have passed identical decisions (white or red), a visible and an audible signal is given to the lifter to lower the barbell to the platform. The referees’ decision may be unanimous or on a majority. Lights corresponding to the judgement of the referees light up on a board: Two or three white lights = Good Lift; Two or three red lights = No Lift. The referees’ activity can be permanently checked by the Jury with the help of a monitoring device on the Jury table. The referees’ decisions on each attempt are final and irrevocable, but if there are very serious mistakes in refereeing, the Jury can replace a referee or grant an additional attempt to the lifter.

The big scoreboard on the wall helps you to follow the progress of the competition by indicating all the important data on the lifters and the lifts: the start number, the name and country code of the athletes, their bodyweight whieh was registered at the Weigh-in two hours before the actual competition, the three attempts (good or missed) on the Snatch and on the Clean & Jerk, the Total result, the final ranking.

This electronic board contains information on the athlete just called, the attempt to be taken and currently being performed on the platform, and incorporates the timiong clock and thre referee light signalisation. The time for the athlete starts running at the calling of his/her name by the Speaker and the board indicates the remaining time, giving a warning signal when there are only 30 seconds left. An extension of the attempt board and timing clock operating parallel with the one on the stage is installed in the warm-up area.

In contemporary weightlifting competitions, a complex and sophisticated competition software developed by the IWF produces the Start Lists, defines the calling order and produces the results, in full accordance with the rules. The progression of the attempts is displayed simultaneously on the Competition Secretary’s desk to supply the information for the Speaker and the Attempt Board/Competition Scoreboard, as well as in the warmup room to allow the athletes and coaches calculate the time remaining for the next attempts and to apply competition strategies in the interest of a better position. Record Board:

The records relevant to the competition/Championships and the category contested are displayed in the venue for information to the public.

Replays of the lifts in slow motion from different angles are presented to the public and the Jury after each attempt to allow for a better observation of the athletes’ movements which are very fast in real time.