Information for International-Qualifying BC Athletes

The jump from competing at a National-level to an International-level comes with different requirements, planning, and things to be aware of. This page is set up to help you better understand the process, build awareness around what to expect, and offer resources to continue to stay up to date as an athlete in a dynamic competition environment.


What you are responsible for:

  • Declare

    Declare: As an International Athlete, you must declare your intention to be eligible and compete at an International competition with CWHFC and BCWA. You may declare prior to posting an eligible competition total, though you will be required to achieve said total prior to the Team Selection Date. Note that the qualification period for International 1 + 2 and Elite Competitions differs.

    Qualification Period:

    • International 1 + 2: 8 months prior to Team Selection
    • Elite: 6 months prior to Team Selection

    Team Selection Notification:

    • International 1 + 2: 45 days prior to competition
    • Elite: 60 days prior to competition
  • Pay

    Pay: Once you declare, you must pay a non-refundable $100 WCH Administration Fee to CWFHC in order for your declaration to be official. This can be done via E-transfer; if you are unsure of where to send this, reach out to BCWA for support.

  • Entry

    Entry: Once you have declared and paid your Administration Fee, you will be notified by CWFHC upon selection to a team at which point you will be accountable for all forms, paperwork, and necessary athlete courses to be eligible.

    NOTE: Often communication from CWFHC comes with tight turnarounds, so be proactive and diligent in checking and responding to your emails. If there is anything in the Declaration process which you can do early, it is recommended.

  • ADAMS Completion

    ADAMS Completion: See ADAMS/Doping Control. Ensure you are registered within ADAMS and have successfully updated and maintained your athlete whereabouts; failure to do so will make you ineligible to be selected to a team.

International Qualification Standards

Qualification Totals

In order to be considered an International Athlete by WCH, there are thresholds you must meet. Each Threshold represents eligibility to compete at a different level, pending team selection. Note: unlike meeting the National-Qualifying Marker, meeting an International Qualifying Marker does not guarantee selection to a team. This process is further explained in the International Team Selection Process section. The below Minimum Thresholds of Performance are based upon a Marker System which is set and reviewed annually by WCH and the High Performance Committee; all Thresholds have an assigned percentage listed which shows what percent of the Senior Marker is needed to meet the Threshold (i.e. 85 or 88%). The Markers, themselves, are based on a review of Elite performance in each weight category globally, and levelled out to create a consistent qualifying threshold across weight categories in Canada that are competitive at the International level.

  • Senior International 1 minimum threshold of performance

    Senior Minimum Threshold of Performance (79% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    49 153
    53 161
    57 170
    61 178
    69 191
    77 196
    86 204
    86+ 223

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    60 230
    65 246
    70 259
    75 272
    85 290
    95 309
    110 324
    110+ 340
  • Junior International 1 minimum threshold of performance

    Junior Minimum Threshold of Performance (72% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    49 140
    53 147
    57 155
    61 162
    69 174
    77 179
    86 186
    86+ 204

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    60 209
    65 224
    70 236
    75 248
    85 265
    95 281
    110 295
    110+ 310
  • Youth International 1 minimum threshold of performance

    Youth Minimum Threshold of Performance (64% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    44 113
    49 124
    53 131
    57 138
    61 144
    69 155
    77 159
    77+ 166

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    56 177
    60 186
    65 200
    70 210
    75 221
    85 235
    95 250
    95+ 262

Eligible Competitions:

  • Commonwealth Championships

  • FISU World University Championships
  • Various Invitational events as available from time to time
  • Senior International 2 minimum threshold of performance

    Senior Minimum Threshold of Performance (82% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    49 159
    53 167
    57 177
    61 185
    69 199
    77 204
    86 212
    86+ 232

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    60 238
    65 256
    70 269
    75 283
    85 301
    95 320
    110 336
    110+ 353
  • Junior International 2 minimum threshold of performance

    Junior Minimum Threshold of Performance (76% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    49 147
    53 155
    57 164
    61 171
    69 184
    77 189
    86 197
    86+ 215

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    60 221
    65 237
    70 249
    75 262
    85 279
    95 297
    110 311
    110+ 327
  • Youth International 2 minimum threshold of performance

    Youth Minimum Threshold of Performance (67% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    44 118
    49 130
    53 137
    57 145
    61 151
    69 162
    77 167
    77+ 173

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    56 185
    60 195
    65 209
    70 220
    75 231
    85 246
    95 262
    95+ 275

Eligible Competitions:

  • Pan American Championships
  • Junior Pan American Championships
  • Youth Pan American Championships
  • Grand Prix events and World Cups

  • FISU World University Games

Next Gen refers to athletes that are born in 1998 or after.

  • Senior Next Gen Elite minimum threshold of performance

    Senior Minimum Threshold of Performance (85% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    49 165
    53 173
    57 183
    61 192
    69 206
    77 211
    86 220
    86+ 240

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    60 247
    65 265
    70 278
    75 293
    85 312
    95 332
    110 348
    110+ 366

Eligible Competitions:

  • Pan American Championships
  • Junior Pan American Championships
  • Youth Pan American Championships
  • Grand Prix events and World Cups
  • FISU World University Games

Next Gen Elite Minimum Threshold of Performance:

Athletes 25 and under (in 2023, born in 1998 or later; in 2024, born in 1999 or later) may qualify for Senior Elite-level competitions with an 85% of Marker Threshold of Performance. Athletes meeting the Next Gen Elite Marker, while eligible for a Senior Elite Event, will still be subject to other Team-selection criteria; further, if an athlete has met the Senior Elite Threshold (88% of marker) they will be given preference over an athlete meeting the Next Gen Elite Threshold

  • Senior Elite minimum threshold of performance

    Senior Minimum Threshold of Performance (88% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    49 170
    53 179
    57 190
    61 198
    69 213
    77 219
    86 228
    86+ 249

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    60 256
    65 274
    70 288
    75 303
    85 323
    95 344
    110 360
    110+ 379
  • Junior Elite minimum threshold of performance

    Junior Minimum Threshold of Performance (80% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    49 155
    53 163
    57 173
    61 180
    69 194
    77 199
    86 207
    86+ 226

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    60 232
    65 249
    70 262
    75 276
    85 294
    95 312
    110 328
    110+ 344
  • Youth Elite minimum threshold of performance

    Youth Minimum Threshold of Performance (70% of Senior Marker)

    Female

    Weight Category Marker
    44 124
    49 136
    53 143
    57 151
    61 158
    69 170
    77 174
    77+ 181

    Male

    Weight Category Marker
    56 194
    60 203
    65 218
    70 229
    75 241
    85 257
    95 273
    95+ 287

Eligible Competitions:

  • IWF World Championships
  • IWF Junior World Championships
  • IWF Youth World Championships
  • World Championships

International Team Selection Process

Declaring intent to compete is the responsibility of the athlete to complete, but if you have any questions around timelines for specific competitions, please reach out to BCWA and we can support you in getting the information you need. After the cut-off date for declarations, WCH will select a team based on qualifying totals within the allocated team spots for the competition. Team selection limits 2x athletes per weight class, generally capped at 10 athletes total per gender.

Note: first an athlete must hit the Threshold for Performance, from there, WCH will select a team of 10 athletes (who have declared), and of those 10 a maximum of 2-per weight category will be allowed. For more specific information around the selection process, please refer to HAL Selection Procedures: https://weightliftingcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Selection-Procedures-2023-V1.1-9-Feb-2023.pdf.


International Event Calendar:


Athlete support:

BCWA will support any international athlete/coach in their travel with $500 towards their trip; athlete/coach must meet international standards required to attend (Athlete Threshold of Performance, Coach NCCP Competition Development Trained) and be a BCWA member in good standing.


Qualifying to Represent Team Canada:

YOU MUST BE A CITIZEN OF CANADA OR A LANDED IMMIGRANT AND RESIDE IN CANADA FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS If dual citizenship is held, your sport nationality must be registered as Canada with the IWF or other applicable body, at the time of the final qualification event. Exceptions may be made to the residency requirement for students studying abroad.

YOU MUST HAVE A VALID CANADIAN PASSPORT An athlete must possess a Canadian Passport with an expiration date no less than 6 months after the end of competition, or the entry requirement of the host nation, whichever is greater.

DOPING POOL REGISTRATION You must be registered in the ADAMS system with Whereabouts completed for the required period prior to the competition through to the final day of the competition. The required period for most international competitions is two months. For world championship events and major games, the period is three months. YOU MUST BE THE CORRECT AGE FOR THE COMPETITION The IWF recognizes four (4) age groups: Youth: 13-17 years of age Junior: 15-20 years of age Senior: 15+ years of age

Doping/ADAMS

As an international athlete, you are required to be registered for doping control and testing through the ADAMS system. For resources on how to set up and maintain your ADAMS account, see the resource section below. You are accountable for knowing doping regulations, policies, and processes; you can be tested at any point, and refusing a test from a DCO can result in suspension.

Note: You are required to keep your athlete and training information up to date at all times; should the IWF find you out of compliance, you will be ineligible to compete internationally. Do not let this slip, as Canadian athletes have been removed from international competition teams for not keeping their profile updated.

Upcoming Events

BC Weightlifting Association hosts multiple events each year for athletes, coaches and officials. Please refer to the list below for more information on upcoming workshops, sanctioned competitions, club events and courses.

Jun
21
BCWA 2026 Annual General Meeting
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Competition Results

Check out the latest results from our Junior, Senior and Masters Olympic Weightlifting Competitions!

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