Key facts

Venue: ExCeL
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Wednesday 5 September 2012
Medal events: 20
Athletes: 200 (120 men, 80 women)

With athletes from more than 100 countries now involved in international competition, Paralympic Powerlifting is one of the world’s fastest growing sports. The bench-press contest offers a tense and dramatic sporting spectacle, as athletes battle to lift more weight than their rivals.

The basics

Paralympic Powerlifting, past and present

After its initial introduction to the Paralympic Games at Tokyo in 1964, when it was billed as Weightlifting, the sport now known as Powerlifting underwent a major transition, expanding to include athletes with cerebral palsy or spinal injuries, lower-limb amputees and ‘les autres’ (‘the other’ disability groups). Women made their Paralympic Powerlifting debut at Sydney 2000, and the sport has continued to grow at a rapid rate ever since.

For London 2012, the Powerlifting competition will be held at ExCeL, a multi-purpose events venue that will also host a number of other Paralympic and Olympic sports.

Jargon buster

- Bench: The bench stands no more than 0.5m high and must be at least 0.61m wide.
- Commencement and completion: The start and end of each lift, indicated respectively by a downward or upward arm motion from the chief referee.
- Platform: The field of play, measuring at least 2.5m x 2.5m and no more than 4m x 4m.

See the London 2012 Paralympic Games competition schedule

Get involved

See also