Is it true that the USAW Board of Directors removed former members of the Masters Council? 

Yes. Read the full announcement here.

When will elections for the Masters Council happen? 

New members of the Masters Council will be seated via a series of elections by USAW masters members, the first of which will happen by the end of the 2023 calendar year, and the second of which will happen in conjunction with the 2024 USA Weightlifting Masters National Championships (March 21-24). USAW’s Masters Task Force will update the community on specific election details once they’re available. 

Will elections held during USAW Masters Nationals be conducted in-person or online? 

Both. We will provide a digital voting solution that will enable voting to occur remotely and on-

site. 

Who will be eligible for election and who will vote to elect the Masters Council?  

USAW members in good standing who have a sport age of 35 and up. Individuals recently removed from the council are ineligible.  

Will newly elected members of the Masters Council serve new terms or serve out the remainder of the prior members’ terms? 

They will complete the remainder of the prior members’ terms, which expire on September 30, 2025. 

Will records set at a United Masters Weightlifting Federation (UMWF) event in a UMWF body weight category count towards an American record in a USAW body weight? 

Yes, based on the actual bodyweight of the athlete competing at a UMWF event.  

Will there be opportunities closer to home to compete in international masters events? 

This is our goal. We are exploring options, so please stay tuned for future updates. For now, we encourage our masters members with an interest in competing internationally to consider the events offered by the UMWF. We are awaiting event documents and registration information for their inaugural World Championships set for Fiji from September 23rd to 28^th, 2024.  

What is the status of the Howard Cohen American Open (HCAM) as a USAW sanctioned event?  

As of September 30, 2023, USAW is still waiting to hear if the new entity that is operating the

HCAM event is going to meet requested conditions for a USAW sanction. USAW has requested

information from the event organizers and meet director to evaluate whether USAW is the

sole sanctioning body to ensure the sanction would be valid and the event properly insured.