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USAW National Event Adaptive Athlete Competition Requirements

The information on this page pertains to athletes wishing to compete at USAW national events. For local competitions, athletes should connect with the meet director for necessary accommodations. No additional forms or procedures must be followed for local competitions.


Qualification Procedure and Process:

  1. An athlete must have a disability as defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.
  2. Adaptive athletes must meet a minimum qualification total equal to 50% of the national qualification standards set by USA Weightlifting. This total must be made at a USAW-sanctioned event within the proper qualifying window. Participation at a local USAW sanctioned competition as an adaptive athlete does not require USAW approval.
    1. IE: An 88 kg male wishing to lift in the open category at the VIRUS Weightlifting Finals ordinarily must record a 283 kg qualifying total. An adaptive 88kg male athlete would need to record a 142 kg total to qualify for the event and enter as an adaptive athlete.
  3. To enter a USAW national competition as an adaptive athlete, all athletes must submit the following form with their health professional's approval for adaptive athlete participation. Failure to do so will exclude an athlete from the competition they are seeking to enter.
    1. Forms just need to be submitted one time and will be reviewed at the Verification of Final Entries for each subsequent USAW national event.
  4. After an athlete has confirmed their disability, completed the health professional’s approval form, and secured their qualifying total, they should go to the national meet event page in question and click on the “Adaptive Athlete Registration” box to begin their registration for the event.  For information on national events, to see qualifying totals, and to register for national events, click here.

Special note:

VISUAL REMINDER CARD 

To aide adaptive athletes in reminding technical officials of their disability and necessary accommodations (for example, needing a loud audible down signal), athletes are encouraged to print, carry, and show this card at weigh-ins and before taking the platform for each lift at USAW national meets. This will aid the technical officials in ensuring athletes have the best experience possible while participating. 


Click to download high-res version

Addendum to the Technical Rules and Regulations for Adaptive Athletes:

Athletes must reasonably complete the competition lifts - the snatch and the clean and jerk. The snatch and the clean & jerk must be fully locked out overhead and dropped when given the down signal.


Athletes are responsible for informing the meet director and officials of their need for specific accommodations. This notice should be shared reasonably in advance of the event’s verification of final entries. Athletes are encouraged to remind the meet director and officials at weigh-ins about their requested accommodation.

At USA Weightlifting national events, adaptive entry categories are contested in all bodyweight categories in snatch, clean & jerk, and total. The first, second, and third place athletes for each lift, as well as in the total, in each available bodyweight category will be eligible for medals. In addition to the bodyweight division, athletes will be further categorized according to their disability:

  • Physical Disability      
  • Deaf, Deafened, or Hard of Hearing
  • Visual Impairment
  • Intellectual Impairment

Examples of possible accommodations:

Historically, athletes have had past accommodations for strap usage, use of a special bar, noise-cancelling earbuds, and more.

Physical Disability:

  • Athletes may perform single arm snatches and clean and jerks
  • Athletes may perform single leg snatches and clean and jerk

Deaf, Deafened, or Hard of Hearing

  • Coaches will be allowed out of the coaches’ box to stand behind the referees during the athletes lift to sign or signal coaches’ cues
  • Athletes may request a more robust down signal by the center referee
  • Coaches may give the down signal once the referees call is visible

Visual Impairment:

  • Coaches may walk athletes on stage to assist with the start of the lift
  • Athletes may request a more robust down signal by the center referee

Intellectual Impairment:

  • Using sound-deadening earbuds on-platform

Inquiries on competing as an adaptive athlete can be sent to the national office at usaw@usaweightlifting.org | Competition rules and event policies are available here.

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