Tomorrow, the St Stanislaus College auditorium will be transformed into a battleground for some of the strongest men and women in Guyana.
Trophies, medals and bragging rights will all be on the line when the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) hosts its annual Novices/Juniors/Qualifiers Championships.
Lift off for the Fitness Express sponsored fixture is scheduled for 08:00hrs.
In excess of 20 athletes are scheduled to chalk up and hit the platform.
Other sponsors include Pele Alumni, Dyna’s Embroidery and the Trophy Stall.
The first time and junior lifters will have a chance to exhibit their strength in order to break records and earn titles. Some of the more seasoned athletes like Paul Adams, Wazim Mohamed, Nadina Taharally and Franklyn Brisport, will be guest lifting to achieve qualifying totals for international competitions.
Due to COVID-19 measures, the GAPLF will not allow spectators at the venue and each team will only be allowed one coach. Everyone present will be expected to wear a mask. The competition will be live- streamed for the virtual audience. Athletes for Flight A are expected to be at the venue for weigh-in which starts from 6 am sharp.
In other territories where the sport has already made a successful return, organizers follow some of the general precautions below:
Bars plates, and collars are sanitized between each round (i.e., squats round 1, squats, round 2, etc.). This must be accomplished by spray-type disinfectant.
Warmup equipment is sanitized between each session.
Hand sanitizer or portable hand washing stations will be provided. One of these sanitizing strategies must be used by the athlete prior to each attempt. Chalk may be applied after hand sanitizing.
Attempts will be given orally, rather than in writing and scoring staff will write them down in the presence of the athlete or coach. The athlete or coach may not touch or approach the scoring table closer than six feet.
