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.

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 48 147 53 158 58 169 63 178 69 188 77 199 86 208 86+ 234 Male
Weight Category Marker 60 234 65 245 71 260 79 277 88 294 98 309 110 323 110+ 356 -
Junior International 1 minimum threshold of performance
Junior Minimum Threshold of Performance (73% of Senior Marker)
Female
Weight Category Marker 48 136 53 146 58 156 63 165 69 174 77 184 86 192 86+ 216 Male
Weight Category Marker 60 214 65 227 71 240 79 256 88 271 98 285 110 298 110+ 329 -
Youth International 1 minimum threshold of performance
Youth Minimum Threshold of Performance (66% of Senior Marker)
Female
Weight Category Marker 44 115 48 123 53 132 58 141 63 149 69 157 77 166 77+ 174 Male
Weight Category Marker 56 184 60 194 65 205 71 217 79 231 88 245 98 258 98+ 270
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 48 153 53 164 58 175 63 185 69 195 77 206 86 216 86+ 242 Male
Weight Category Marker 60 242 65 255 71 269 79 287 88 305 98 320 110 335 110+ 369 -
Junior International 2 minimum threshold of performance
Junior Minimum Threshold of Performance (76% of Senior Marker)
Female
Weight Category Marker 48 142 53 152 58 162 63 171 69 181 77 191 86 200 86+ 225 Male
Weight Category Marker 60 223 65 236 71 250 79 266 88 282 98 297 110 311 110+ 342 -
Youth International 2 minimum threshold of performance
Youth Minimum Threshold of Performance (69% of Senior Marker)
Female
Weight Category Marker 44 120 48 129 53 138 58 147 63 156 69 164 77 174 77+ 182 Male
Weight Category Marker 56 192 60 203 65 214 71 227 79 242 88 256 98 270 98+ 282
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 Female Marker)
Female
Weight Category Marker 48 159 53 170 58 182 63 192 69 202 77 214 86 224 86+ 251 Male
Weight Category Marker 60 251 65 264 71 279 79 298 88 316 98 332 110 347 110+ 383
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 48 164 53 176 58 188 63 198 69 209 77 221 86 232 86+ 260 Male
Weight Category Marker 60 260 65 273 71 289 79 308 88 327 98 344 110 360 110+ 396 -
Junior Elite minimum threshold of performance
Junior Minimum Threshold of Performance (80% of Senior Marker)
Female
Weight Category Marker 48 149 53 160 58 171 63 180 69 190 77 201 86 211 86+ 236 Male
Weight Category Marker 60 235 65 248 71 263 79 280 88 297 98 312 110 327 110+ 360 -
Youth Elite minimum threshold of performance
Youth Minimum Threshold of Performance (72% of Senior Marker)
Female
Weight Category Marker 44 125 48 134 53 144 58 154 63 162 69 171 77 181 77+ 190 Male
Weight Category Marker 56 201 60 211 65 224 71 237 79 252 88 268 98 281 98+ 294
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:
- IWF (most accurate): https://iwf.sport/events/calendar/
- Canadian (less accurate but shows Canadian competitions) https://weightliftingcanada.ca/events-results/
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.