Qualifying Standards


Athletes are required to achieve qualifying standards in order to compete at the provincial, regional, and national level in Canada.

Provincial Championship Qualifying Standards

The BC provincial qualifying totals are equivalent to the CPU Regional qualifying totals. Click here to view the CPU Regional qualifying totals.

Qualifying totals must be obtained in the 24 months prior to BC Provincial Championships. Qualifying totals can be obtained in an IPF-sanctioned competition including BCPA and CPU competitions.

Some other notes on qualifying totals:

  • Athletes who achieve qualifying totals as an Equipped lifter also qualify to compete as an Unequipped lifter at Provincials.
  • Athletes cannot use a total from competing as an Unequipped lifter to meet the Provincial qualifying standards as an Equipped lifter.
  • Qualifying totals for a Bench Press Only competition can be obtained from a Bench Press Only competition or in the bench press portion of a regular Powerlifting competition.

Regional and National Championship Qualifying Standards

Regional and National Championships are administered by the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU). There are three Regional Championships held by the CPU each year. BC athletes will likely compete in the Western Regional Championships, which also includes athletes from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Both CPU and BCPA have requirements for athletes to compete at a CPU Regional or National Championship. The CPU maintains national qualifying standards and regional qualifying standards. Please ensure you meet these standards before registering for Regional or National Championships.

In addition to the CPU requirements, there are BCPA requirements to compete at a CPU Regional or National Championship as defined in our bylaws.

For Spring 2024 Regional Championships ONLY there is an exception in place for athletes who have not competed at Provincials or higher before.

Spring 2024 Regional Championship Qualifying Standards Exception

The BCPA has decided to exercise their right to adjust the qualifying standards for athletes who have never competed at Regionals or higher before only.

If you have competed at a BC Provincial Championship or higher level competition before, this exception does not apply to you, and you are required to comply with the BCPA bylaws 17:02 as written.

17:03 In extenuating circumstances, qualifying standards may be adjusted or removed at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Rationale: Prior to the CPU experimenting with changes to the calendar we followed a typical competition calendar progression that would allow BC athletes to compete or volunteer at Provincials, then Regionals, then Nationals. When the original dates for Westerns 2024 were announced we planned our Provincials to fall in March. This would have given athletes the ability to do Provincials before Regionals if that was their intention. After already securing the Christine Sinclair Community Centre (who will only allow a small number of special events at a Provincial Championship or higher level) for March, the decision to put an exception in place is to avoid last-minute swapping venues and rushing to put on a Provincial Championships.

In order to be eligible to compete at an athlete’s first CPU Regional Championships in Spring 2024 or their first CPU National Championships in Fall 2024, that member must:

  • Fulfill any CPU requirements; AND
  • Obtain the relevant CPU qualifying standard at a sanctioned IPF member federation competition consisting of 5 or more lifters; AND
  • Any athlete competing at CPU Regionals Spring 2024 and/or CPU Nationals 2024 for the first time must have done at least ONE of the following:
    • Compete at or volunteer at their Provincial Championships within the 12 months preceding the CPU Regional or higher event that they wish to compete in. For clarity, each member must compete at or volunteer at the Provincial Championships they would be eligible to compete in themselves within the 12 months preceding the CPU Regional or higher event such member wishes to compete in. The minimum obligation of volunteer time shall be determined by the Board of Directors; OR
    • Acted as a meet director for a sanctioned powerlifting or bench press competition within the province of BC during the previous (12) months, OR;
    • Assisted in one (1) BCPA executive run meet as an official or other volunteer role as assigned by the meet director between the previous year’s Regional or National Championships and upcoming Regional or National Championships*. OR
    • Assist the BCPA or one of the committees with its tasks, while not being a member of said board or committee. The minimum obligation of volunteer time and acceptance criteria for the task shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

* For CPU Regionals in Spring 2024 ONLY, volunteering at Vic Barbell Open 4, Banger at the Hangar, and UBC Championships will meet this requirement. If you intend to compete at CPU Regionals AND CPU Nationals 2024, volunteering at these competitions will not meet volunteer requirements for Nationals.

Determining Your Qualifying Total

A qualifying total must be achieved within the defined period before the competition for which you’re qualifying. For example, BC Provincial Championships requires athletes to obtain a qualifying total in a sanctioned competition during the 24 months before the date of their BC Provincial Championships. The qualifying total can be obtained at any level of competition as long as the competition was sanctioned by the BCPA, CPU, a CPU-affiliated province, an IPF-affiliated member organization, or the IPF itself.

First, determine your age class at the time of the competition in which you will compete. For example, if you are a Junior athlete who will turn 24 next year then you will be competing in the Open class next year. If you wish to compete at BC Provincial Championships next year as an Open athlete, then you must achieve a qualifying total in the Open class even if you are currently a Junior athlete.

Next, you must achieve a qualifying total in one of the weight classes for that age class. You do not have to achieve a qualifying total for the weight class in which you intend to compete. You only have to achieve a qualifying total, for any weight class, defined for the age class for which you are attempting to qualify. For example, you do not have to obtain a qualifying total in the 93 kg weight class even if you intend to compete in the 93 kg weight class at the competition for which you intend to qualify.

Example 1

John is a Men’s Open 93 kg Classic athlete who wants to compete at BCPA Provincial Championships next year in the Open class. He looks at the BC qualifying totals chart to find the qualifying totals for Open athletes. Since he has competed for years in the 93 kg class, he expects to compete in his next competition at 93 kg. He looks at the chart to find the qualifying total for Men’s Open 93 kg Classic. This is the total he must achieve in competition before the next BCPA Provincial Championships in order to qualify.

Example 2

Jane is a Women’s Junior 84 kg Classic athlete who wants to compete at BCPA Provincial Championships next year. She will turn 24 next year, which means she will have to compete in the Open age class. She looks at the BC qualifying totals chart to find the qualifying totals for Open athletes. She decides she can safely compete as a Junior 76 kg lifter before BCPA Provincial Championships and obtain the Open qualifying total. Once she does, she can compete at BCPA Provincial Championships in any weight class.