British Championships 2025 Feedback

The below statement is from Matthew Curtain, CEO of British Weight Lifting.

As a membership-based organisation, BWL continues to be committed to working with its community. 

I can say with pride that weightlifting and para powerlifting continues to be undergoing a period of renaissance in the UK, as demonstrated by our increasing athlete participation, membership development, growing fanbase, marketing appeal, stakeholder value, and new corporate and strategic partners.

We have achieved this by working more closely with our clubs, athletes, officials, volunteers, but more so, with the functional fitness sector where we have now hosted five national competitions in parallel with CrossFit events. In doing so, we have been able continue to deliver a flagship National Championship event while engaging with new audiences – thus aligning to our mission to educate, inspire and create greater opportunities that appeal to a more diverse and inclusive audience in the UK resulting in greater levels of activity and a fitter, healthier and stronger nation.

This cooperation provides mutual benefits for both partners particularly through wider fan / spectator engagement, enhanced commercial exposure and, greater marketing / promotion value.

But, this model of delivery is not perfect, and we are not pretending otherwise. We are open to constructive feedback and of course, improvement. It is for this reason, I commissioned the attached work led by our Communications Manager, Elicia Agar.

Best regards, as always,

Matthew Curtain

CEO

View the Full Feedback report here

Executive Summary

The 2025 Championships were generally seen as a successful and well-run event with clear improvements from past years. However, challenges around noise levels, fairness of scoring systems, communication timeliness, and venue suitability are areas that require strategic attention for future events.

Our questionnaire gathered feedback from 111 respondents across athletes, spectators, coaches, volunteers, and officials. The majority of respondents provided positive ratings, with average scores of 3.96 from athletes and 3.82 from other attendees.

Key Strengths

Organisation & Operations: High satisfaction with weigh-in processes (95% positive) and event scheduling (over 90% agreed timings were upheld).

Communication: Improved pre-event communication was widely appreciated, though some delays in releasing schedules and reliance on social media were noted.

Atmosphere & Energy: Many praised the vibrant environment and energy from being co-located with the CrossFit competition (SiD), contributing to increased exposure for weightlifting and para powerlifting.

Venue Access & Staff: The NEC was regarded as accessible, with staff praised for professionalism and friendliness.

Areas for Improvement

Excessive Noise Levels: A consistent and major concern. Many participants and spectators found the competition environment overwhelmingly loud, leading to communication difficulties and overstimulation. This was especially problematic during competition and warm-up.

Venue Layout & Spectator Experience: Lack of tiered seating, platform visibility, and overcrowding were cited as detractors. Many suggested raising platforms or improving viewing arrangements.

Masters Q-Points System: Feedback on the Q-Points ranking was mixed. While it increased competitiveness and fairness in registration, it was widely seen as confusing, biased toward older lifters, and demotivating for younger masters.

Media & Livestreaming: Complaints included high costs for photo/video packages and inadequate livestream access. Several requested that streaming be included in entry fees or offered more affordably.

Judging Consistency: Inconsistencies in referee decisions, especially concerning the press-out rule, were raised repeatedly. Calls for clearer officiating standards and access to video reviews were made.

Group Splitting & Scheduling: Athletes were frustrated by A/B group splits and short notice for schedules, complicating travel and strategy. Some felt medal outcomes were skewed due to improper group assignments.