Referee Responsibilities And Conduct

REFEREES

1. Designation of Platform Referees
   There are three platform referees: the center referee and two side referees.
2. Referee Qualifications
   1. International and National Referees must have a minimum of 5 years competitive experience in powerlifting.
   2. State and Local Referees should have a suggested minimum of 3 years of competitive experience in powerlifting but may be selected to officiate if capable of demonstrating proper lifting and consistently identifying criteria to ensure fair judgment.
   3. Referees must pass the practical tests administered under a senior member of the competition board.
3. Duties of the Center Referee
   The center referee is responsible for giving the necessary signals for all three lifts. The center referee may disqualify a squat for depth ONLY if the depth achieved by the lifter is flagrantly high.
4. Positioning of the Platform Referees During a Lift
   Side referees may seat themselves in what they consider to be the best viewing positions around the platform for each of the three lifts. The center referee is located in the center of the platform only.
5. All three-platform officials are responsible for judging all aspects of the lifter and the lift on the platform. It is obvious that the center referee, from the position at the front of the platform, is in a position that makes it more difficult to judge some aspects of a lift compared to the side referees.
6. When a Referee’s Viewing the Liftis Obscured
   Referees should position themselves in the best viewing position possible. As the lift is in progress, the rear and side spotters must position themselves so each referee has a clear view of the lifter. The lifter may utilize their own rear spotter for the squat if requested. If the lifter’s own spotter/s interfere with the judges’ ability to see the lift being performed and accurately judge the lift, the lift will be disqualified. If the spotter/s at fault for impeding the judges’ view are part of the platform personnel, the lifter will be given another attempt.
7. Duties of the Referees
   1. Prior to the Contest
      1. The platform and equipment comply in all respects with the rules.
      2. The scales work correctly and are certified accurate within the last 12 months.
      3. Assure that weigh-ins are conducted legally and properly.
      4. Assure that a thorough rules briefing is conducted prior to the time that lifting starts.
   2. During the Contest
      1. The weight of the loaded bar agrees with the weight announced by the speaker. At least one referee should be issued a loading chart.
      2. During the meet, if any referee has reason to doubt a lifter’s integrity (in respect to intentional use of invalid equipment or attire to give them unfair advantage over other competitors), it is to be called to the other referee’s attention and the lifter will then be inspected. If the infraction is major, the lifter will be disqualified from the competition. If the infraction is minor, the lifter will be warned.
8. Procedure of a Referee Seeing a Fault in a Lift
   The referee will interpret the fault through lights only at the end of the lift. He may not influence other referees at any time, unless he interprets the fault as being dangerous to the lifter or spotters. Any valid RPS member has the right to lodge a formal complaint with the President regarding misconduct, bad refereeing, or any infraction they may have been involved in or witness to at any RPS sanctioned meet. The RPS board of competition will accept any complaints via email or phone for review of any perceived faults of a referee.
9. Procedure for a lifter to be Informed of Infractions
   A lifter receiving red lights may approach a referee only at the completion of their current. The referee shall inform the lifter of the infraction in a brief manner so as to not break the flow of the meet.
10. Non-Influence of Referees Toward Each Other
    A referee should not attempt to influence the decision of the other referees. No conditions should interfere with fair judgment of all lifters. Absolutely no favoritism will be tolerated. All lifting attempts are to be judged equally.
11. Acceptable Referee Communication
    Referees may consult with each other or any other official to expedite the competition or to correct faults. Consultations should be kept brief and not interfere with the progression of the competition. The lifter will never be penalized by an official’s error and will always receive the benefit of corrections.
    In the event of the mis-lighted lift (due to a switches neglecting to be reset), resulting in the wrong result being announced, the referees must communicate immediately to the scoring table verbally if the announced decision was incorrect. The corrected decision will then be re-announced.
12. Referee Dress Code
    Referees should dress neatly and appropriately at National and World Championships. When available Referees will be required to wear an official referee shirt provided by the RPS.