69KG powerlifter Agata Sitko has had her powerlifting license withdrawn. According to Sitko, the Polski Związek Kulturystyki, Fitness i Trójboju Siłowego (PZKFiTS), Poland’s governing body affiliated with the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), suspended her license due to a disagreement involving her coach. As a result, Sitko will not be permitted to compete in any IPF-sanctioned event, including the 2025 IPF World Games, set for Aug. 7-17 in Chengdu, China.
Neither the PZKFiTS nor the IPF has made a statement, but Sitko and her coach, Pawel Jurczynski, have on social media. According to Sitko, the PZKFiTS told her that Jurczynski was not permitted to travel to the World Games with her and the rest of the Polish team. Sitko expressed concern because she prefers Jurczynski with her and did not feel comfortable working with the other coaches, who have not been publicly named.
For me, a competition at such a high level without my coach on the spot would not be a good competition.
—Agata Sitko
The full video of their reaction, including English translation, can be seen below:
Sitko withdrew her application for the World Games due to Jurczynski not being recruited and citing a lack of proper coaching support. She was notified that her license had been withdrawn due to not participating in the World Games.
I am not a member of PZKFiTS and I cannot participate in any IPF competitions.
—Agata Sitko
Sitko is one of the top powerlifters in the world coming off the 2025 Sheffield Championships, where she set three world records en route to winning her second Sheffield title. Sitko’s suspension puts her potential participation in the 2026 Sheffield into question. Twelve women will be eligible to compete in that event.
Aside from the athletes who qualify through the 2025 IPF World Open Classic Powerlifting Championships, two wildcard positions and reserve positions are chosen by sponsor SBD. Sitko qualified for the Sheffield event by winning the 69KG championship with a total of 612.5 kilograms, highlighted by a top deadlift of 255 kilograms.
BarBend inquired about Sitko’s participation in the 2026 Sheffield meet but received no response at the time of this article’s publication. Many in the powerlifting community have offered support to Sitko lifter and Jurczynski, including the ABS Powerlifting Series, which informed Sitko that she is welcome to compete in their meets despite the PZKFiTS suspension.
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Featured Image: @ja.gata_sitko on Instagram
