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2020 Para powerlifting went virtual

Posted by Marie Curtis on
2020 Para powerlifting went virtual

This year’s powerlifting season began with gusto as Manchester, Great Britain and Abuja, Nigeria successfully hosted World Cups in the first prat of the years. But soon, the world health crisis brought the world along with the sporting calendar to a complete halt.

The Covid-19 lockdown caused the World Para Powerlifting to come up with a unique form of a virtual series, which went live on March 31. 

This concept of changing into a virtual platform overnight proved to be a key changer and which is more important is that a large boon for athletes trying to stay fit as well as continue training indoors during the epidemic.

With 25 athletes from 11 countries, the first ever online competition was a resounding success. That paved the way for the Online World Cup Series – a whole series of virtual competitions that were presented by BIGSER.

Head of World Para Powerlifting, Jorge Moreno said that when they created the Series, most part of the world was being locked down and full of uncertainties caused by the virus. It was their way to help athletes stay active as well as do something fun in a safe way.

Colombia’s Fabio Torres and Russia’s Vera Muratova were the winners of the first edition in the men’s and women’s events, respectively.

Torres said about his win that the online competition was really good and looked like a real event that helped athletes to remain strong.

The second series was held in May and attracted 40 athletes from 19 countries where Jordan’s Abdelkareem Khattab and Mexico’s Amalia Perez were the winners.

The third series broke the record when it comes to the number of competitors (55) while the fourth competition was the Online World Cup that had most participant nations (21). David Degtyarev of Muratova and Kazakhstan won both these two competitions.

The fifth series held in October broke a new record with 65 athletes in action competing to earn a place in the Online World Cup Series Finals in November.

Degtyarev and Perez finished first once again, followed by other seven athletes to the Finals with male and female weightlifters competing together.

News

World Para Powerlifting set up online competition to support athletes during coronavirus pandemic

Posted by Marie Curtis on
World Para Powerlifting set up online competition to support athletes during coronavirus pandemic

World Para Powerlifting has launched an online competition under the name “Raise The Bar Together” in order to help athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

World Para Powerlifting has required participants to make a small donation to humanitarian aid organizations or local clubs in lieu of an entrance fee.

The online competition has been created with the aim of supporting powerlifting athletes to continue their training at home and stay safe during the new novel coronavirus crisis.

Athletes who are competitors are allowed to submit up to 3 videos of lift challenges and they are ranked by their “AH” score, meaning the result of a statistical coefficient.

The “AH” score is used to equalize as well as compare the performances of the athletes between different body weights at competitions in the sport of powerlifting.

Technical officials are also invited to judge the games on the online “Raise The Bar Together” platform.

Sherif Osman of Egypt, a three-time Paralympic champion, welcomes the creation of the online event.

Osman said that with the uncertainty of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, this online competition platform can help all powerlifting athletes to stay motivated and be able to train at their homes safely. It is so exciting to see other athletes’ lifts and results from afar.

The outbreak of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 50,000 people and infected more than 950,000, has caused a near total shutdown of sports worldwide.

It also forced the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games postponed to 2021.

Para Powerlifting World Cups in Colombia, Dubai, and Bogota, planned for March and April, respectively, have all been canceled due to the virus.

Besides World Para Powerlifting, some other organizations have also established online events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

News

World Para Powerlifting to Use Panasonic’s Power Assist Suit

Posted by Marie Curtis on
World Para Powerlifting to Use Panasonic’s Power Assist Suit

World Para Powerlifting has announced that power assist suits created by technology giants Panasonic, a Worldwide Paralympic Partner, will be used at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and during World Para Powerlifting events.

Support staff will use the suits at powerlifting competitions to help them attach and remove weights from barbells. The decision to deploy them follows that Panasonic has become a Official Supplier of WPPO, agreed in September between WPPO and Panasonic.

About World Para Powerlifting

World Para Powerlifting, under the governance of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), is the International Federation for the sport and is based in Bonn, Germany.

Para powerlifting is open to male and female athletes with eight eligible physical impairments. Major competitions include the Paralympic Games, biennial World Championships, regional Championships and annual World Cups.

As you can see, the Para powerlifting competitions can witness athletes lifting more than 3 times their own body weight.

To help the athletes stay focused, it is the support  staff  that will need to lift multiple weights for over 180 contestants at the World Para Powerlifting events and at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Assistants will need to carry an absolute minimum of 8,650kg of weight being lifted across male and female competitions.

Panasonic is proud to support the Paralympic Games

Panasonic Corporation has been an Official Worldwide Partner of the IPC since 2014.

Panasonic is committed to provide accessible products and services to various people including those with disabilities and the elderly and continue to support the Paralympic Movement. Promotion by the Paralympic Games enables the realisation of a more peaceful world through sport and corresponds to Panasonic’s philosophy of ‘A Better Life, A Better World.’

Panasonic Corporation is a leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies in the consumer electronics, automotive, housing, and B2B sectors.

The company has expanded globally and presently operates 582 subsidiaries and 87 associated companies worldwide.