Proposal for 2027 British calendar onwards

Rationale

1. Combining Classic and Equipped bench will see a greater number of equipped bench entries as they will not have to choose between bench and full power. Athletes can reasonably compete in classic bench and equipped bench (as is often seen at internationals) in the same event.
2. Splitting off Classic Sub-Juniors in accordance with the EPF’s calendar decision effective 2027. There are no exams taking place in January and it is before Ramadan (early Feb to early Mar), which is a historical criticism of the timing of this event.
3. Classic Juniors taking place in early April has regard to both Ramadan and GCSE / A-Level exams. It does mean that it is close to BUCS, however, they have historically been too close for athletes to meaningfully compete in both in any event.
4. British Masters – no change proposed, however, the movement of the full power equipped will benefit classic masters lifters.
5. British Equipped – moving this to July fits in better for all age categories. There is the 4-5 week turnaround to the European Cup (formerly Western Euros), however, this is generally aimed at developing athletes and is cancelled in 2027 in any event. 6 The calendar is more spaced out, and whilst we have an extra event in the diary, it equates to the same amount of competition days.

Events Overview for 2027

*selection would be based on the previous year’s championships or as otherwise outlined by the Head Coach.