News

[strapping]

The absence of the USAW submission for removal of the pressout and associated elbow rulings is notable.

And here it is. Changes to the Referee/Jury video playback system and 3 hour weigh ins.

https://iwf.sport/2026/10/19/iwf-update ... -for-2026/

I don’t think I fully grasp the change regarding the VPT. Will there be 3 platform referees and 7 members of an Adjudication Panel (consisting of 4 jury members and 3 other referees?)?

At the end of a lift, all 10 of them cast a vote.

Let’s assume the lift is ruled valid by the platform referees.

If 4 out of the 7 panel members vote for an "invalid" (no-lift) decision, a video review is triggered. Those 7 members then decide, by majority vote, whether the lift is valid or not.

Is that correct?

These changes have been floating around for the last year or maybe year and a half.

Previously, there were provisions for a 3 member jury or 5 member jury, with up to 2 reserve jury members. The jury would vote separately from the referees on a final decision, coming to their own conclusion.

Under the new rules, this adjudication panel will combine the votes of the jury and referees. The adjudication panel consists of the 3 competition referees, and 4 jury members. There is also a provision for a reserve jury member and reserve referee. 10 could split into 5-5 which would nullify a vote.

Functionally, this makes little difference other than reducing operating costs a bit over the previous system.

I don't understand the political rationale (physiology is irrelevant to the IWF) for 3 hour weigh ins. Long and disrupted weigh-ins do of course impact athletes who are cutting weight, especially at international level where there can be communication issues), but I don't honestly believe that is why the IWF would do that.