On Aug. 27, 2021, USA Powerlifting (USAPL) published a press release revealing that the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) issued a 12-month suspension to USAPL. For context, the IPF is the international powerlifting governing body USAPL operates under.
The suspension comes following a judgment from the IPF Doping Hearing Panel. It is a consequence of USAPL’s refusal to adhere to the IPF’s mandate to be WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) compliant. According to the release, this suspension means that USAPL athletes cannot compete in IPF events — just local, national, and USAPL Pro events.
Per the USAPL, adhering to the mandate means they’ll suffer a severe drop in the number of doping tests administered due to a 20-fold increase in testing costs. The expense of these new doping tests was estimated to consume half of USAPL’s cash reserve in the first year, resulting in an 87.5 percent drop in administered tests across the over 400 sanctioned competitions. According to the mandate, the USAPL would not have input regarding therapeutic use exemptions allowed by WADA (i.e., testosterone), which could result in an athlete using a USAPL-banned substance.
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The press release went on to say the USAPL is “deeply disappointed in this decision by the IPF” and that they disagree with “IPF’s new brand of powerlifting that allows doping to run rampant.” The USAPL’s plea for their members to be allowed to compete in IPF sanctioned events under a special designation was denied. In their press release, USAPL used the example of Russian athletes who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games representing the Russian Olympic Committee rather than Russia since the country was banned from the Games for doping violations.
USAPL plans to shift the funds “previously allocated for participation in the IPF events…directly back to the athletes” via their new Pro Series, which will now “payout over $200,000 to [USAPL’s] Pro Athletes.” Additional details of the Pro Series are forthcoming. USAPL’s announced their Pro Series over Instagram on August 26, 2021. Additional details of the Pro Series are forthcoming.
BarBend has reached out to the IPF for comment and will update this article accordingly if/when they respond.
Feature image: @usapowerlifting on Instagram
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