Brian Derwin is a former National Champion and member of the 1980 USA Olympic Team. He previously served as president of USA Weightlifting, and now is the coach of Team Spartacus (MN). Coach Derwin notes that the increased number of lifters at national and local meets has resulted in a new challenge: proper officiating of the lifts.
Weightlifting’s growing popularity has resulted in a need for more officials (referees, technical controllers, announcers, etc.) in order to conduct larger events. One cannot be too critical of volunteers, but this need for more officials has likely resulted in some inexperienced individuals determining a lift’s validity. An official does not need to have any personal lifting experience, but looking around at some meets, one might wonder if the person judging the lift has ever competed.
From the Olympics to local meets, we now see instances in which the jury overrules the referees, sometimes in favor of the lifter, sometimes to the detriment of the lifter. Perhaps the most frequently challenged officiating call is that of “press out.” The interpretation of the press out rule seems to have been greatly tightened in recent years. This has caused serious concern among coaches and lifters as to why certain lifts may be turned down. It is encouraging that we now see the IWF’s use of Dartfish software for video playback at the jury table in order to solidify decisions.
Have the rules changed? No! Once the barbell is overhead in either the snatch or the jerk the following rules (from the 2019 International Weightlifting Federation’s Technical and Competition Rules & Regulations, 2.5 Incorrect Movements) have been in effect for decades:
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Pause during the extension of the arms.
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Finishing with a press-out, defined as: continuing the extension of the arms after the athlete has reached the lowest point of his / her position in the squat or split for both the Snatch and the Jerk.
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Bending and extending the elbows during the recovery.
