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International Competition Qualification 

Application of Interest

Please see application of interest form linked in the relevant selection policies.

New athletes - please submit an application of interest no later than 12 weeks before an international competition to ensure that BWL are made aware of your intention to qualify so that we can help guide you through the process of becoming eligible for international competition. Athletes must complete all steps outlined in the guide below

 ‘BWL first steps to competing internationally’

Athletes involved in Pathway / Performance programmes - must submit their application of interest no later than the 1^st January each year. As an established athlete with ambitions to compete internationally BWL expect you and your personal coach to plan and organise your annual competition schedule to ensure that you can qualify and prepare effectively. We ask athletes, coaches and parents to carefully consider how each competition fits in to an athlete’s development plan considering the guidance in the table below.

In the case of youth and junior athletes we also ask athlete support teams to strongly consider an individual’s academic and wider lifestyle requirements, planning a schedule of competition which does not adversely affect their wider personal development.

International Competition Calendars – the International weightlifting Calendar is governed by a number of key organisations. All athletes, coaches and parents should make themselves familiar with these websites and regularly check these websites for updates.

• International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) – calendar found here for all Olympic qualification and World championship events
• European Weightlifting Federation (EWF) – calendar found here for all European events
• Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation (CWF) - calendar found here for all Commonwealth qualification events and championships

International Qualification Standards

Male Olympic Pathway standards

Female Olympic Pathway standards

Female Commonwealth Pathway standards

Male Commonwealth Pathway standards

Male Development standards

Female Development standards

BWL Amended Standards 2020

Selection Policies

2026 Commonwealth Games Selection Policy: England Training Squad

2025 European Championships - Selection Policy

2025 World Junior Championships - Selection Policy

2025 World Youth Championship - Selection Policy

2025 British Weight Lifting Selection - Appeals Procedure

Qualification Timeline

We aim to release selection policies as soon as possible after the IWF/EWF confirm the dates and locations of the competition each year. Once the selection policy is released we attempt to keep as closely as possible to the schedule highlighted below.

Selection Philosophy

BWL IQS (International Qualification standards) are based on statistical analysis of predicted Olympic and Commonwealth Games medal zones.

All age-group totals (Youth, Junior & U23) will be based on these standards from 2019. The standards are mapped across age-groups using averages of the long-term career trajectories of Britain’s historic CWG medal winners.

BWL selection policies are created to provide international competition experience for British lifters who demonstrate the potential to contribute towards Medals at Birmingham 2022, Paris 2024, LA 2028 or future World and European Senior championships.

Eligibility

Please read the following documents carefully to help you understand your eligibility to compete at international competition for Great Britain;

Eligibility