If you are planning to run your first, or your one hundred and first competition this page has a wide range of information, resources and extra support to help you deliver a high-quality weightlifting competition.

COVID-19 Updates on Competitions

Following the postponement of competitions during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have now developed guidance and best practice for clubs and members to consider if they wish to return to running weightlifting competitions. This guidance is based on current Government guidance and regulations to facilitate the safe running of physical competitions. Information includes: venue layout and general precautions, numbers of athletes/coaches/officials, arriving at a competition weigh-in, warm-up, competition format and after competition guidance.

Return to Competition Guidance

Return to Competition Guidance Floorplan

Overview of British Weight Lifting competition programme

There are three Tiers of competition in the UK forming the BWL competition programme:

Tier 1 – British

Every British Championship event is a Tier 1 competition, the highest level of competition in the UK. These competitions are organised directly by British Weight Lifting. All Tier 1 competitions have qualification standards to take part, you can achieve these standards at any Tier 2 or Tier 3 competition.

Tier 2 – Home Nation

Each UK Home Nation is responsible for its own national championships, these competitions make up Tier 2. All Tier 2 competitions hold equal standing across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Most Tier 2 competitions have qualification standards to take part.

Tier 3 – Club

Any club with a ‘Licensed Club’ affiliation to BWL or a Home Nation federation can apply to run a Tier 3 competition. Every Tier 3 event is held to the same set of minimum requirements to ensure a good standard of competition wherever you lift in the UK.

These competitions form the majority of the competitions in the calendar, and they all act as qualifiers to Tier 2 and Tier 1 championships.

How do I host a Tier 3 competition?

We’ve developed a wide range of support for our competition organisers and we’re always developing more guidance to help make weightlifting events the best they can be.

Anti Doping

Understand what you’re responsible for and how you can support a clean sport environment at your competition.

Finances

A summary of the costs to run a Tier 3 competition plus a guide on creating a Stripe account for your club to receive entry fees

Kit Hire

Short of kit? Don’t worry, you can hire anything you might need from BWL, or we might be able to link you with another local club to pool your resources.

Registration

A step-by-step guide on registering your competition on BARS. Great both for the first time and as a refresher if you haven’t registered a competition for a while.

Results Administration

A step-by-step guide to managing the results of your competition to get them onto the BWL rankings as quickly as possible plus a template for recording results

Risk Assessment

A template risk assessment and a guide for filling it in. We know it be daunting to do a full risk assessment so we’ve listed some of the most common risks to get you started and the guide to help you fill in the rest.

Safeguarding

Visit the safeguarding area on our website to learn more about our commitment to safeguarding and your responsibilities as a competition organiser.

Technical Officials

Advice about how to recruit Technical Officials for your competition and a template duty rota.

Terms and Conditions

Check the latest terms and conditions for organising a Tier 3 competition. These are also included right at the start of the registration process on BARS.

Venue requirements

The minimum requirements for your venue to host a Tier 3 competition, plus some recommendations above the requirements to improve your event.

Competition FAQ

A list of frequently asked questions and answers about competitions

If you have any more questions, please contact our competitions team - Competitions@britishweightlifting.org