Powerlifting education stepped up in Iran

Two World Para Powerlifting educational courses have taken place in Tehran, Iran, training 17 referees and nine classifiers from the Asian country in the lead-up to the Mexico City 2017 World Championships, set to take place between 30 September-6 October.

Masoud Ashrafi, NPC Iran Secretary General, said: “The IPC educators were invited from Russia and Malaysia, who did their best to carry out successful courses for both Classifiers and Referees.”

“These courses were both performed theoretically and practically while organising our National Para Powerlifting Championships at the same time. I would like to appreciate IPC for their great support.”

The topics covered in the referee course were the competition cycle, management and venue, athlete classification and eligibility, competition processes, athlete passport and competition forms, AH Formula and minimum qualifying standards, technical officials selection, roles and responsibilities, World Para Powerlifting technical rules and regulations, and lifter uniform and kit check.

In the classifier course, participants learned about history of classification, understanding the IPC Classification Code, evidence based classification, powerlifting classification scope and application, athlete evaluation, classification personnel, classification panel, classification process and carrying out classification test, protests and non-eligibility classification area and rooms, administration, and codes of conduct.

Omid Mirzahosseini, who was one of the classifier course participants, said: “We’ve passed a very good and useful course. We had a good three days’ theory and, after that, we worked for two days in conjunction with our national competition classification.”

For more information on World Para Powerlifting education programmes please contact jana.hasenberg@paralympic.org and visit the education website.