The 20kg Rule
The 20kg rule is a simple yet imperative regulation of the competition that should be checked and verified by every technical official that has the opportunity. To put it simply, an athletes’ opening lifts must total at a minimum, their competition entry total minus 20kg. Most notably, you’ll find this rule being verified by the official who conducts the weigh in and takes note of the athletes’ openers, and the chief marshal who compares the openers to the start list. The OWL system also does a great job of flagging where this rule hasn’t been upheld, so, there are multiple checkpoints for officials to be sure the regulation has been met. We’ve found that this is one of those rules that the newer athletes aren’t always aware of, particularly if they’ve come to the sport from CrossFit or it’s their first time at BUCs for example. So, it’s key that you’re able to spot an infringement, but also explain it to the coach (who should know) but potentially also to an athlete who’s at the competition alone for the first time, potentially nervous and unsure. Having a simple explanation to hand and helping them re-do the math will go a long way for their experience of the competition and of technical officials….
20kg Rule Example
- An athlete enters a competition with an entry total of 200 kg. The total weight of the first attempts in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk must equal or exceed 180 kg (such as, 80 kg and 100 kg; 77 kg and 103 kg or any other combination)
- The athlete can also have openers that exceed their entry total, for example 100kg & 110kg.
Maintaining the 20kg rule
- The Referee at Weigh-in is the first point of contact for the correct application of the 20 kg Rule. The athlete card should note the qualifying total of the athlete, so when noting down the first attempt numbers at weigh in – check they are compliant with the 20 kg rule.
- After this the second check for compliance with the 20kg rule should come from the competition manager as they enter the athlete info onto the computer system and then subsequently the Chief Marshal when comparing athlete cards to online OWLCMS or setting up marshal table for warm up.
- The responsibility to comply with the Entry Totals and all relevant TCRR rests entirely with the athletes / Team Officials. If the starting weights do not respect the 20 kg Rule, any of the above mentioned TOs must immediately advise the athlete / Team Official concerned to make the required changes.
- If this doesn’t happen and an athlete’s first attempt in the Snatch is lighter than required by the 20 kg Rule, the lifter or coach (preferably coach if they have one – try not to talk directly to the lifters) must be advised by the Chief Marshal or Technical Controller in the warm-up area that the first attempt in the Clean & Jerk must be increased in order to comply with the Rule.
- If they don’t make the necessary change for the first Clean & Jerk and refuses to do so, the athlete is eliminated from the competition immediately upon refusal. If the 20 kg Rule is not met and goes unnoticed by all TOs and the athlete takes attempts, whether successful or not, and the error is noticed only after the execution of the lifts, any or all such Clean and Jerk attempts not in compliance with the Rule will be rendered as “No lift”.
Changes in the warm up area
- Sometimes an athlete or a coach will want to change their declared openers in the warm up area, prior to the start of the competition, or prior to their lifter being called. The 20kg rule will still apply at this point. It is good practice if you’re the chief marshal to note on the athlete card the lowest KG the lifter could move to, and still maintain the 20 kg rule. That way, should a coach lower their lifter by 5kg’s on their opening snatch and this takes the athlete to 22kg away from their entry total, you’d know immediately not to accept that change but can advise them that a 3kg decrease will be fine.
Summary
The 20kg rule is pretty simple, but there are lots of places it needs to be upheld, so we’ve definitely found its best not to get complacent with checking it. Even when it comes to the clean and jerk openers. Coaches should know and should be respectful if you have to challenge a weight change because it breaches the rule, but in our experience when athletes come alone, often they’re nervous or new and although it’s their responsibility to know the rules, staying calm and explaining it clearly often goes a long way to soothing any anxiety.