On April 4, 2025, the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) banned stiff knee sleeves from their sanctioned competitions.
Banned Knee Sleeves
The IPF Executive Commission convened in Luxembourg and determined that the following knee sleeves would be disallowed from sanctioned meets:
- INZER ErgoPro Knee Sleeves & INZER ErgoPro “Kona“ Knee Sleeves IPF ID: 270
- Titan Knee Sleeves (TKS) 7mm: IPF ID: 127
- ONI Knee Sleeve Pro IPF ID: 113 Equipped & Classic
- Strength Shop 7mm Inferno PRO Knee Sleeves Extra Stiff Black IPF ID: 221-1
- Hansu 7mm Knee Sleeves 1.0 & 2.0 IPF ID: 330/1
- Fortex Knee Sleeves 7mm Extra Stiff Various colours IPF ID: 205
- A7 Hourglass Knee Sleeves Rigor Mortis (various colors) IPF ID: 100
The above sleeves were “removed from the IPF ‘Approved List of Apparel and Equipment for Use at IPF Competitions’ with immediate effect.”
However, athletes are permitted to use them until Aug. 18, 2025. After that, those sleeves “will not be permitted in any events sanctioned by the IPF or its regional or national affiliates.”
[Related: World Record Weightlifter Karlos Nasar Trains Like a Bodybuilder]
The decision to remove the stiff knee sleeves from the approved list followed a commissioned analysis by an unnamed independent laboratory.
The findings showed that the materials used in the now-banned knee sleeves “do not comply with being made of neoprene as defined in the IPF Technical Rules (i.e., ‘The sleeves must be constructed entirely of a single ply of neoprene, or predominantly of a single ply of neoprene plus a non-supportive single layer of fabric over the neoprene.’)”
The decision to outlaw stiff knee sleeves should not demonstrably affect how athletes perform the three big lifts — squat, bench press, and deadlift — during sanctioned contests. Whether or not the companies that manufacture the banned sleeves will adjust their products to comply with the IPF Technical Rules remains unknown.
What is known is that elite powerlifting athletes competing in sanctioned contests will need to adjust what’s in their gym bag before heading to the lifting platform.
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Featured image: @theipf on Instagram
