On 30 June 2022, USA Powerlifting announced that they would be expanding their federation to Hong Kong. People usually view USAPL as a more competitive federation than IPF and many lifters are excited to see what USAPL is going to do in Hong Kong! With their first meet successfully organized by Classics Strength Academy, they earned a good reputation for having strong competitions and fun vibes! This article, we are going to explain the federation and talk about their activities!
What is USA Powerlifting?
It is now an international powerlifting organization that was established in USA back in 1981. The federation is quickly growing as it expanded its original US-only federation to an international one. They have their own rulebook but the rules are largely similar to IPF’s (apart from the bench rule that came into effect in 2023). The federation is drug-tested and asks for athletes to be “clean” for at least 36 months.
Basic Information:
Instagram: @usaplhongkong
Website: https://www.usapowerlifting.com
- You can find lifting records here
Other countries with USAPL: USA, Korea, China, Australia, Ireland, England
Membership fee: $65 USD for a year
How many competitions USAPL HK is going to organize in a year?
- 3 Open Powerlifting meets
- 1 Invitation only Powerlifting meet
The federation tries to roll out 3 qualifying meets where athletes can compete and try to earn a spot at the championships in August. The initial timeline was a meet in November/December, Mach/April, June and then August Championships. In total, there should be 4 powerlifting meets in one year. However, the August event is exclusively for athletes who are top 5 in their weight class.
The organizing committee are trying to organize international competitions! Athletes in Hong Kong can go for overseas competitions organized for them in the future!
Perks of being a USAPL athlete
- You can compete internationally at other USAPL locations
- Participate in drug-free meet
- Possibility to win a pro-card
- High level competition with international athletes coming to local meets
Caveat
IPF is not a generous federation, many athletes discovered that they had an IPF ban indefinitely for affiliating with USAPL. This means that Athletes associate themselves with USAPL may receive a ban from IPF competitions. We have an article that dissected the whole situation in Korea. In Hong Kong’s case, IPF athletes are forbidden to compete at USAPL because IPF deemed USA powerlifting as an “outlawed” institution. If HK follows Korea’s IPF rule, athletes who work or train at CSA may receive bans by IPF as well.
Inaugural Powerlifting Competition
The federation’s first ever competition in Hong Kong was a great success. Within a few days, the registration closed as athletes flocked to sign up. There were high quality competitions in every weight class where the best lifters in Hong Kong came to compete. Keenan Lee, a recent winner of a pro card, also came to Hong Kong to compete.
As an athlete who competed at the meet, I have written an article about the meet. Click here to read more!