The Jury
It’s rare that you will come across a Jury at BWL events, but as a TO or a weightlifting fanatic you’ve probably experienced them when watching something like the European Championships, maybe the European Masters or the IWF Grand Prix. In our experience, the number of BWL events with enough technical official volunteers to make having a jury feasible, even when preferable, are few and far between. The exemption to this rule might be National level, Tier 1 events, such as the British Championships. Still, the Jury are an important component of the competition, and if you have ambitions to officiate at an international level, understanding the function of the Jury and how they fit into the melting pot of roles at a competition, is going to be key for your development.
What is a Jury?
- At IWF events the jury is composed of three, sometimes five IWF Category 1 technical officials. At BWL tier 1 events where a Jury is present, this will be comprised of the more senior BWL level 3 TO’s or IWF level 2/1.
- The Jury has ultimate control over the field of play and its primary function is to ensure the technical and competition rules and regulations of the governing body are being followed and applied at all times.
- One member of the Jury will be allocated the role of the Jury President – this is the most senior technical official role at the competition.
- The President of the Jury verifies and signs the final competition Protocol.
- The Jury president will also compile a written report at the end of the competition (at IWF events) highlighting any special occurrences or feedback and comments. This is then presented to the technical committee chairperson &/or IWF president.
What do the Jury do?
- The jury adjudicate each lift just as the referees do, using a Jury Control Unit. Once the athlete has replaced the barbell on the platform, each member of the jury will click either the red or the white button to indicate if they believed that lift to be a ‘good lift’ or a ‘no lift’. When the Jury majority decision differs from that of the Referees’ decisions, the Jury may review Referees’ decision and / or Jury’s own decision by way of Video Playback Technology (VPT).
- The Jury has the power to reprimand and / or sanction an athlete / Team Official for displaying misconduct at a competition. In particular, if the misconduct, either by actions or words, represents a threat to any Technical Official.
- Throughout the course of the competition the Jury will observe the work of the TO’s, in particular the referees. At any point, following a first warning, the jury, by unanimous vote, may replace any technical official whose decisions suggest he or she does not fully understand the rules, or is deemed incapable of enforcing them or making the correct decisions. It is acknowledged however that errors in officiating may occur involuntarily and, in such situations, the TO is first allowed to explain his / her decision to the Jury.
- When VPT is not in use the Jury has the power to reverse a decision when the Referees’ decision has been judged unanimously by the Jury to be technically incorrect. In order to consider the reversal of a decision, the Jury may call the Referees in question to seek an explanation. If the explanation is accepted, no action is taken, if the explanation is not accepted the Jury will reverse the decision of the referees. This decision will then be communicated to the athlete / Team Official concerned via the Technical Controller or any other TO, as directed by the President of the Jury, and then announced by the Speaker.
- When VPT is in use to review a lift, a majority vote is required amongst the Jury members – if the jury consists of 5 officials – in order to reverse or change a decision. at competitions where a 3 member Jury is appointed, the jury must agree unanimously in order to reverse or amend a decision based on the VPT.
- Slow-mo playback on the VPT is only used for no-lifts comprising of a touching of the elbow to the knee or the lowering of the bar/bum onto the platform.
- Normal playback speed is used for adjudicating pressouts / armbends as generally – if you cannot see it at the normal speed, it should be a white light.
- There is no appeal against the Jury’s decision except for at competitions where a challenge card is presented.
- If a challenge card is presented, the Jury will review the referee’s decision – usually using the VPT, and either accept or deny the challenge. by confirming the referees decision or overturning it.
- The Jury also decide whether the small discs (2.0, 1.5, 1.0 and 0.5 kg) are to be loaded inside or outside the collars – this is usually in relation to the amount of friction the small plates have against the barbell, and if they are likely to move
- If there has been an error in loading the barbell or if the Speaker makes a serious error during the announcement of an athlete’s name or the calling of the weight the Jury will decide whether or not to grant another attempt.
Summary
The Jury are usually comprised of the most experienced and senior TO’s at the competition – they ensure the standard of officiating is in line with the expectations of the governing body, but they also serve as a line of protection for the officials should there be any disgruntled coaches or athletes, by way of implementing sanctions or warnings. It’s a great idea when there’s an international competition on (you can find a list of the upcoming competitions, both national and international, here), to keep an eye on the Jury table, the camera will often pan to them. Particularly if they call a lift under review or are offered a challenge card. Until then, here’s the top things to remember about the Jury;
- Jury president is God. Their word is final.
- The Jury adjudicate each lift the same way the referees do.
- They uphold the standards of the Technical Officials.
- They have the power to sanction coaches / teams or athletes.