It has been a rollercoaster year for Olympic weightlifting competitions. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced varying closures and restrictions on large gatherings in numerous states. As a result, many weightlifting events were canceled, postponed, or moved online. On Nov. 20, 2020, USA Weightlifting (USAW) announced in a press release that they have decided to “cancel the in-person 2020 National Championships, National Youth Championships and American Open Finals competitions scheduled for December 3-6.” The events were originally scheduled to take place in Atlanta, GA.
However, all three events are still happening. They will be done remotely via an online competition on the same dates. This will be the first time in the history of USAW that these three events will not be held in person.
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“2020 is the first year in our history where we won’t be able to hold an in-person Senior or Youth National Championships or an American Open Finals,” USA Weightlifting CEO Phil Andrews said in the press release. “That’s obviously disappointing and we apologize and are thinking of those athletes who were very much looking forward to competing especially those for whom this was perhaps a unique opportunity to attend the Nationals. But the science and data are clear. Now is not the right time, even with the extensive precautions we had in place.”
Changes to Registration
Athletes who registered to compete at the in-person competitions will receive refunds for their entry and any COVID-19 tests that were purchased through USAW. Any hotel reservations made specifically to attend the event (through the USAW portal) will also be canceled automatically without a fee. However, registration does not automatically transfer from the in-person competition to the virtual one.
Athletes who wish to compete in the remote competition are required to re-register for the event via the Barbell Administration and Results System (BARS) by 2 p.m. MST on Dec. 1, 2020. The final schedule will be released on Dec. 2, 2020, and the competition will start on Dec. 3, 2020.
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How To Watch
Anyone who was planning to watch the event will still have the opportunity to do so even with the competitions moving online. They will all be live-streamed on USAWeightlifting.org.
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