Strength Sports Australia, previously known as the Australian Powerlifting Union or APU, is the Australian national
World Drug-Free Powerlifting Federation
The World Drug-Free Powerlifting Federation (WDFPF) is an international powerlifting federation, founded in 1988, with 22 member countries. Its current president is Wim Backelant.
The federation is created specifically as a drug-free alternative i ...
affiliate. The APU was the Australian national
International Powerlifting Federation
The International Powerlifting Federation is an international governing body for the sport of powerlifting as recognized by the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).
The IPF was founded in 1972, and comprises member f ...
(IPF) affiliate for the sport of Powerlifting between the years of 2018 and 2023. Formed in 2018
after
Powerlifting Australia was removed from the IPF after Robert Wilks (president of Powerlifting Australia) was not re-elected to the IPF Executive Committee, the APU hosted local-, state-, national- and international-level competitions under the IPF ruleset and banner.
In November 2023 the APU announced that it was no longer maintaining IPF affiliation but would still run local competitions. In December 2023 the APU announced that in 2024 it would affiliate with the
World Drug-Free Powerlifting Federation
The World Drug-Free Powerlifting Federation (WDFPF) is an international powerlifting federation, founded in 1988, with 22 member countries. Its current president is Wim Backelant.
The federation is created specifically as a drug-free alternative i ...
.
History
The APU was established on 8 January 2018 by Sean Muir, David Cheung, Cameron Whittington and Scott Peisley.
The APU was granted provisional status by the
IPF in January 2018, before being accepted as a full member at the 2019 IPF General Assembly.
In April 2024 Strength Sports Australia announced that they would be rebranding from Australian Powerlifting Union to SSA
First Competition
The first competition hosted by the APU was the 2018 Bristow Open,
named after
Maxwell Bristow, a multiple World Record holder.
First National Competition
The first national championship hosted by the APU was the inaugural National Equipped Powerlifting and Bench Press championship, held on 15 July 2018 in Penrith, NSW.
Thirty lifters from across Australia participated.
International Competition
The Australian Powerlifting Union hosted two international competitions, the first being the 2018 Oceania Regional Powerlifting Federation (ORPF) championships, held in Queensland from 24 to 25 November 2018, with 83 entries from Oceania countries including
Australia,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
,
Nauru
Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in K ...
and
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
(and others).
SSA Structure
Committees
The SSA is headed up by a board of directors. Due to the transition from APU to SSA and the change of affiliation to WDFPF the composition of board and committees has not been publicised.
Legal Status
Strength Sports Australia Ltd. is Limited by guarantee and registered with
ASIC
An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC ) is an integrated circuit (IC) chip customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use, such as a chip designed to run in a digital voice recorder or a high-effici ...
.
Recognition
International. The APU was recognised as a full member by the
IPF in 2019.
The APU announced their affiliation and recognition by the WDFPF on 27 December 2023
however this has not been publicly confirmed by the WDFPF.
Sport Integrity
Anti-Doping
The Australian Powerlifting Union was a drug-tested federation and did not condone or allow the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The APU adopted
Sport Integrity Australia
Sport Integrity Australia is an executive agency of the Australian Government which commenced operation on 1 July 2020. The agency was established by the Parliament of Australia from the recommendations presented in the ''Report of the Review ...
's national anti-doping policy,.
The World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation is not a signatory to the WADA code.
Competition Rules and Qualifying
SSA follows the
powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift eff ...
rules of competition as prescribed by the WDFPF.
Qualifying
Qualifying for SSA competitions under WDFPF rules is unclear.
International Competition
As a former member of the
IPF, the APU sent teams to IPF regional and world championship events.
Notable Lifters
Under their IPF affiliation the Australian Powerlifting Union had multiple world record holders, including:
*Max Bristow - Men's Masters 3 (60-69) -66 kg Equipped Deadlift (235.5 kg)
*Max Bristow - Men's Masters 4 (70+) -66 kg Equipped Deadlift (210.0 kg)
*Helen Allen - Women's Masters 2 (50-59) -57 kg Deadlift record (183 kg)
*Bethany Parker - Sub-Junior (14-18) Women -84 kg Classic Total (481.5 kg)
*Ewan Belgrove - Sub-Junior (14-18) Men -83 kg Classic Squat (290.0 kg)
*Peta Day - Masters 3 (60-69) Women -84 kg Classic Deadlift (160 kg)
*Natalie Laalaai - Open Women 84+kg Classic Deadlift (268 kg)
See also
*
Women's powerlifting in Australia
*
Australian Masters Games The Australian Masters Games is a biennial sporting event and the largest multi-sport participation sporting event in Australia. Garry Daly as President of the Confederation of Australian Sport proposed the concept of Masters Games to the Northern ...
*
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift eff ...
References
External links
Australian Powerlifting UnionInternational Powerlifting Federation
{{Sports governing bodies in Australia
Powerlifting
Sports governing bodies in Australia
2018 establishments in Australia
Sports organizations established in 2018
Strength athletics organizations